The other day, my friends and I planned a last-minute hike up to “Starved Rock National Park” in Illinois. Backpacks and water bottles in hand, we made our way to the trails, tackling the numerous dirt paths that led the way. After examining one the maps of the park, we made a short trek up numerous sets of wooden stairs and steep, narrow pathways to the top of a small cliff, the namesake of the park.

The view was breathtaking, spectacular, stunning, beautiful. I gazed over the horizon, completely swept away by the peace and tranquility of the world around me. I let go a soft, contented sigh, completely enamored of and in awe of the beauty this world had to offer, swept away by the amazing view.

And then I looked down.

And saw pieces of litter scattered right below the lookout -- wrappers caught in branches, bottles stuck in between roots.

A friend remarked something along the lines of, “Look, see the wild Pepsi can growing in its natural habitat,” and through her quip, I could sense a tinge of sorrow and disappointment that such beauty should be marred by human carelessness.

I glanced back down at the clutter. Then, determined to not let the litter diminish the joy of my excursion, I picked my head up, and looked back over the horizon.

Vivid, green trees grew up and over the land, soaring over the houses and towns I knew lurked beyond them. The Chicago river twisted and turned through the sea of green, sunlight reflecting off of the slow and steady waves of the current, as soft waves rippled to the sides and into the edge of the dam that held the water in place. From our spot on the small cliff, the hill, I could see the treetops across Illinois stretch on for miles and miles over the generally otherwise flat land.

I was thoroughly swept away with awe and fascination, that the world could be so beautiful, that the Lord could create something so magnificent.

I did not let a bit of litter mar the beauty that I was so privileged to behold.

As I looked off into the view, I realized that nature reflects humanity in this instant, and that just as I did not let the rubbish ruin the view, just as I looked up past the mess and into the beauty of the world, so I should not let the dismal points of life distract me from the wonders and joys that the world has to offer.

Dismay breeds dismay. Anger breeds anger. Hate breeds hate. Bitterness breeds Bitterness.

Its a terrible, mournful cycle.

It is so easy to become bogged down, depressed, angry and upset at the state of the world. We see it in our news, it comes up in conversation and it invades our thoughts day in and day out. We are seemingly surrounded by sorrow, and it is so easy to be swept away by it, get caught up in it, and think that the world is a horrible place -- that our lives are terrible and our world sucks.

But we have to look beyond the bad, and see the majesty in life that is thoroughly evident.

Yes, there is bad in the world. Evil exists and tragedies happen on the daily, but there is still good that greatly outweighs the bad. Good exists, joy survives. Just take a look at how the world bonds together in steadfast unity after a terrible tragedy. Prayers are offered, volunteers jump to assist, and the public becomes just a bit more charitable. The world weeps, but love is chosen as the outcome

We can choose to let the bad bog us down and lead us into a dismal and desolate state of mind, or, we can choose to live out of love, look for the good that is always present, and spread that love to others. For just as sadness breeds sadness, so joy will bring about joy. We must never let the badness in the world outweigh the good. We must make the conscious effort to choose goodness, joy and love, and spread it to others.