The world is sick. We have been overcome by tragedy and sadness. Everywhere we look people are arguing about the most recent tragic media headline. We forget to stop and admire our world. We forget why we are fighting. We forget what it is that drives us everyday.
Many people do it for their future children, for the future smiles that will look up at them. Others do it for the religion and faith that has held steady for them throughout their entire live. Some do it for humanity, fighting to keep the world alive. Some for the health of the place we get to call home.
Stop. Take a deep breath. Close your eyes and think about the thing that makes you happiest in this world. The thing that makes your heart flutter and pinch just the tiniest bit, because it just makes you that damn happy. Then open your eyes again.
How long has it been since you thought of or experienced that? For some it could have been minutes, some it could have been hours, days, or months.
This world is chaotic right now. This world is corrupt. This world is sad right now. But it's never going to get better if we simply dwell on these facts, if the tragedy and pain is all we see. We must remember what it is that we're fighting for, why we rally and hope so deeply things will get better. What it is in this world that makes us the happiest and that is worth hanging on to.
I'm not saying to ignore the bad things. I'm saying we need to stop letting it be the only thing we see.
One of my very first articles was about how to reclaim that inner childhood spark. While I might only be 19 years old and still a very young adult, I believe very firmly that we could all use to cling onto that spark of wonder and joy that children experience like experts. We become cynical and serious with age because we slowly become consumed by the things we see in the world. We begin to forget the things that made our heart flutter in just pure joy as we see the truths of the world, the tragedy, war, death, pain, inequality, and everything dark that had always been hidden from us.
To stop the negativity and awful things that are happening in this world, in our precious place we call home, we need to remember why it's worth living in. There are so many succumbing to the downtrodden rut the media is pressing on us. The presidential candidates aren't making anyone happy, innocent African Americans are being slaughtered, refugees are homeless, racism and hate are at an all time high, inequality is getting worse and worse, and to top it all off our planet is dying at our hands.
So what makes it worth it? Why should we keep on when this world has begun to slowly drown in everything awful imaginable? Because of the things you thought about.
Because even in the chaos you can still find an empty street with blooming trees. You can walk down its deserted path and take in the warm sunlight streaming through the leaves and falling blossoms. You can turn around and see your child with that five-star smile. Your significant other can pick you up and spin you around until you can't breath with so much laughter. You can run around a city playing Pokemon GO and make new friends. You can sit around in the living room with your family just talking, laughing, and watching old favorite movies and TV shows. You can see your pet, the wonderment in the way they look at you.
The world is worth fighting for. Peace, equality, happiness are all worth running into battle for. But we need to remember among all this darkness what it is we are fighting for. We are fighting and protesting for safety and happiness. Don't forget the light among the dark.
