Climate change, and the resulting increase of floods, fires, droughts and landslides. The damage caused by Tsunamis, eathquakes and volcanic eruptions.  The violence and unrest all over the world.  The ensuing human migration resulting from all this.

And speaking of humans, our burgeoning population explosion and the displacement of other  animal species and ecological diversity.

All of these world-wide events are scary and painful to witness for me, and probably for you as well. It’s distressing and all I want to do is do something – anything – to make a positive change.

But in all of my dwelling on what’s wrong with the world, I don’t notice all the things that are right with it.

Here are some of those things:

• Life expancy has increased to 71 years of age worldwide
• 90% of people under 25 around the world can read and write
• 10% of people around the world live in extreme poverty – down from 90% 200 years ago (one reason being that jobs that used to be only in developed countries are now distributed throughout the world)
• Even with wars, the rate of death world-wide today is ¼ of what it was before and including Viet Nam
• 95% of us are less likely to be killed by accidents – like plane or car crashes.

I got these things from Steven Pinker’s book Enlgightenment Now: The case for reason, science, humanism and progress.

It doesn’t mean we aren’t in trouble and there’s nothing to do. What it does mean, for me, is that I can genuinely buoy myself with good news, and approach efforts of bettering what I see is wrong and harmful with more balance.

 

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Maryanne

 

Maryanne Nicholls is a Registered Psychotherapist.  To find out more, gain access to her weekly newsletter, meditations and programmes, sign up at www.thejoyofliving.co .