The World Is Not Falling Apart

I hate watching the news. As a result, I often have no idea what the hell is going on in the world. I’m not sure if ignorance is bliss, but ignoring the sensationalized news certainly is bliss. When I pay attention to the news, I’m exposed to the same theme over and over: the world is a shithole, and it’s falling apart.

It seems that the news is dedicated to spreading the word of disaster: murders, rapes, Ponzi schemes — you name it; if someone is suffering, surely it’ll make for some great primetime news. When I watch the news, I am forced to draw one conclusion: you can be hurt at any moment, in any place, by any person, by any thing. And I will concede that, technically, this is true.

But that’s hardly a reason to stop living.

Call me a hippie or a blind optimist, but I haven’t given up on human decency or human kindness. I’ve seen that it still exists, not on the news, but with my own eyes, when I’ve been unplugged or unwired. I saw two examples when my wife and I were flying to Pittsburgh to celebrate Thanksgiving with our family in the North.

In the terminal where we were sitting as we waited to board our plane was a woman with her toddler and her infant. My wife commented that the lady had two beautiful boys, which of course, made the lady’s face light up. The poor woman was travelling with no other adults and had her hands full. She turned to my wife and apologized for the inconvenience but asked if my wife would mind taking a water bottle and finding a fountain and filling it with some tasty H2O. My wife was more than happy to help out.

When this happened, I immediately thought, Wow, here’s a lady who trusts a complete stranger. Here’s someone whose head isn’t full of fear, someone who wasn’t worried that my wife was an eager “Water Bottle Poisoner Killer” or something along those lines.

Onward to Event Number 2…

When it came time to board the plane, a solider in uniform got to board the plane before everyone in coach. That’s cool, except he boarded after the people in first class and those who had purchased “priority access”. That, in my opinion, is a bit crap. Sure, you don’t always know who’s a veteran and who’s not, but when the guy’s in uniform, it’s not very difficult to spot him. And though allowing him to board the plane first can never compensate for what he sacrifices every day, it’s the least we can do. But when everyone boarded the plane, a guy in first class gave his seat to the guy in uniform. Classy move, eh?

Now I know what the haters are going to say: That guy gave up his seat so that he could get a pat on the back. And he did get pats. He also got a kiss on the cheek from a stewardess. And now I ask, What’s wrong with that? Isn’t that a great reason to do nice things, for a bit of praise and the good feeling that come with such an act? If only we all, myself included, were motivated more by these rewards.

What about the business world? Isn’t it falling to pieces?

Some people would have you believe that the recent financial crisis is a sign that the world is now eternally stuck in the crapper. Some people have the same attitude whenever a new piece of legislation that they do not favor is passed. Or whenever the game has changed (for example, the rise of digital media and the decline of physical media such as the compact disc). Instead of focusing on how they can make money and push their business to success, people focus on how they can no longer make money. They focus on what was once and what is now no more. For these people, I offer this bit of advice: Amid crisis, there is always opportunity. Opportunity is everywhere, but we often overlook it.

If there were ever a time to think that the world was going to end, it would have been the 1930′s and 1940′s. Think about it. You had the Great Depression. And you had The Holocaust accompanied by World War II. What about the Dust Bowl that devastated the Great Plains area of the United States?

But guess what — humanity survived. And do you know why?

Just because you think your world is coming to an end does not mean that the world is coming to an end.

I’ll admit that these are scary times. But that’s just because these are times of radical, quick changes. You can’t stop change, but you can change the way that you feel about change. When the game changes, it’s the early adopters who benefit. So rather than focus on what is no more, we need to strive to be the first to see new opportunity. I admit that I myself am not the best at this, but I’m looking.

The world doesn’t end until we rest our eyes for good. Okay, so maybe the world will keep on keepin’ on, but we won’t really know. And as long as I’m alive, I’ll keep looking forward and moving forward and progressing the best that I can.

If you need an inspirational tale to help you move forward, I recommend reading The Road by Cornac McCarthy. The book is not for those with a weak stomach, but if the story of a father who fights to keep on living for his son despite the obviously pending Apocalypse can’t put things in perspective for you, then I’m sorry that I couldn’t offer anything more beneficial for you.