In honour of World Environment Day, which was yesterday, I'd like to give a shout out to some of my favourite photographers bringing awareness to environmental and climate issues, and how these issues affect wildlife.
Below is a small sample of their work and links to their Instagram accounts, where you can view more of their photos and the stories that go along with these images below. Kudos to all of you for the amazing work you do!
Sidebar: is it just me, or are there way too many "World Day" or "National Day" of celebrations these days? How did that happen? Who makes up these celebrations, anyway?
Contribute to 12 Months of Gratitude! This project began in January with the intention to provide a forum for giving thanks, recognizing those that are doing good in the world, and sharing stories that inspire us to be and do better. Anyone can contribute a story! For more on how to submit a post to this space, please read the Submission Guidelines.
At the end of May, I celebrated my one year anniversary of being vegan.
For nearly 38 years, I ate meat. I grew up in Saskatchewan, after all. But I always loved animals. I had pets growing up. I knew plenty of hunters (again, Saskatchewan) but never understood why anyone would want to shoot or harm a living creature.
And I was a champion for the environment. I recycled everything: paper, plastic. I never left the tap running while brushing my teeth. I mended socks and wore clothing items until they were threadbare.
As I grew older, I got really good at ignoring these instincts when it came to what I ate. I became a so-called "foodie," trying everything, becoming a local expert amongst my friends and colleagues on the best up-and-coming restaurants and cuisines. I always knew what hip new place was opening and, in many cases, was ahead of the masses in getting a table. No menu selection was off limits: bone marrow, sweetbreads, tripe, foie gras, veal.
But at some point, I started paying attention - mainly, because I could no longer believe my own bullshit.
The Vegan Society defines veganism as "a way of living which seeks to exclude, as far as is possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose." Vegans eat a "plant-based diet avoiding all animal foods such as meat (including fish, shellfish and insects), dairy, eggs and honey" and avoid the use of "products like leather and any tested on animals."
The way I like to think of it is: no animals or animal-derived or tested products on your plate or person.
After nearly 38 years of blindly eating meat, I woke up. I accepted that the choices I was making when it came to food were wrong. I made the connection that what I was eating was once an animal who didn't want to die, who was tortured, who experienced pain and unimaginable fear - all in the name of nom nom nom.
I realized that sharing my pictures of meat-based meals on Instagram and Facebook was not only absurd, it was serving to perpetuate the normalization of inherently cruel and disgusting conditions in animal agriculture. By hanging on to my identity as a meat-based "foodie" and posting these pictures on social media, I was complicit in the exploitation of animals and the desecration of our planet to fuel humanity's sense of domination over all other forms of life.
No more. After a year of being vegan, I've learned so much. I am finally making decisions that are in-line with my values and beliefs. I am finally living a life that feels full of purpose. And my regrets are down to one: that I didn't go vegan sooner.
But I couldn't have done this alone. I am grateful to organizations like PETA and Mercy for Animals, who seek to end cruelty to animals by exposing the inhumane and torturous conditions in factory farming. These organizations inspired me to look past the end of my own nose and stomach, towards something greater: true respect for all creatures.
I am thankful for all of the animal sanctuaries (too numerous to name!), working to rescue animals who were destined for slaughter. These places give animals a home, a safe place to live the rest of their lives the way they always should have - in peace.
I am grateful for all of the individuals trying to make a difference and save the world - living by example, and promoting veganism in a positive and respectful way. This is not always easy to do, knowing just how much suffering and destruction is caused by those who choose to unapologetically eat meat without a second thought.
But lastly, I am thankful for friends, family and colleagues who have respected my decision to become vegan, who have expressed curiosity and interest in the reasons why, and remain open-minded when I sometimes get a little preachy. Thank you for your understanding and willingness to listen and learn more.
If you are curious and want to read more, here is a list of my favourite resources that inspired and helped me get started with being vegan:
It's been busier than usual in my life, which means I've fallen behind these past few weeks on Kind Deeds Making the Internet. But here we are, back again! Here are my favourite stories of nice people doing nice things from two weeks ago (week #7) and last week (week #8).
Remember: I'm still looking for your stories on gratitude! If you're interested, view the submission guidelines and be in touch. Anyone can submit a story. Why not you?
When Canadian figure skater Gabrielle Daleman fell several times during her free skate performance in PyeongChang, fans were quick to offer their sympathy and support, encouraging the skater to learn from the experience and remember that they are proud of her accomplishments.
Nice needs no filter Pink Shirt Day began with two teenage boys in small-town Nova Scotia, Canada taking action to support a classmate who had been bullied for wearing a pink shirt to school. The initiative is now recognized yearly and raises funds to support anti-bullying programs and help other young people affected by bullying. See #PinkShirtDay, #PinkItForward and #NiceNeedsNoFilter coverage on Twitter for more.
Hope y'all have a great weekend. Thank your helpers!
About Kind Deeds Making the Internet Each Friday (or so), I will post highlights of cool people doing kind things that popped up in the news or in social media that week. Hopefully this will be inspirational in helping us all think about who we would like to acknowledge with gratitude, kudos or thanks. For future weekly highlights, be sure to send me anything you think would make for interesting reading.
Happy Chinese New Year to everyone who is celebrating! A happy belated Valentine's Day to all as well, regardless of whether you are single or attached - all we need is love, right? Here is this week's round up of cool people doing kind things.
International Day of Women and Girls in Science took place last Sunday. According to UN Women, the day is "an opportunity to take a stand for women and girls in science and to break the stereotypes that hold them back. Bridging the gender gap in science is vital for achieving sustainable development...although science-related fields are critical to national economies, most countries have not achieved gender equality in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)."
Matters of the heart
The 2018 Women's Memorial March on Valentine's Day marked the 26th consecutive gathering held to honour the lives of missing and murdered women and all women’s lives lost in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. As put by the Annual Women's Memorial March website: "The first women’s memorial march was held in 1992 in response to the murder of a woman on Powell Street in Vancouver. Out of this sense of hopelessness and anger came an annual march on Valentine’s Day to express compassion, community, and caring for all women in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, Unceded Coast Salish Territories." See coverage from this year's march on The Georgia Straight and CBC News British Columbia.
Living the Olympic Philosophy
The PyeongChang 2018 Olympics are in full swing. The philosophy of the International Olympic Committee's Olympic Movement, as summarized by Scholastic, is to develop "good sportsmanship, sense of fair play, and respect for fellow athletes" and, through sport, teach "men and women of different races, religions, and nationalities to work peacefully together in competition toward common goals." It is in this spirit and philosophy that one story stuck out for me this week, given our current times - one of a Russian luger offering an athlete from the United States the use of his sled.
Florida
Finally, last week's tragic events in Parkland, Florida have been well covered on the internet and through traditional news outlets, with many comments offered via social media. Regardless of your position, let's recognize and remember people like Aaron Feis, the football coach who died shielding students from bullets, and survivors speaking truth to power and calling for change - including students like David Hogg, Sarah Chad and Carly Novell, among others.
Enjoy the remainder of the weekend.
About Kind Deeds Making the Internet Each Friday (or so), I will post highlights of cool people doing kind things that popped up in the news or in social media that week. Hopefully this will be inspirational in helping us all think about who we would like to acknowledge with gratitude, kudos or thanks. For future weekly highlights, be sure to send me anything you think would make for interesting reading.
Happy Family Day long weekend to those in British Columbia and hope everyone else is having a nice Sunday.
This week's Kind Deeds Making the Internet has a bit of an activist bent to it. Change doesn't come without hard work and sacrifice. Kudos to these troublemakers for making a difference.
Fighting rental evictions together CBC British Columbia wrote this week about the Vancouver Tenants Union: a group formed last spring in response to increasing numbers of renters who fear being evicted or priced out of their homes - sadly, an unfortunate reality in Vancouver. According to the story: "The group's membership has grown to nearly 1,000 people across the city...[and] has rallied around some tenants facing eviction over renovations and successfully helped them keep their homes."
100th anniversary of women's right to vote in the UK
Celebrations took place to recognize women gaining the right to vote in the United Kingdom 100 years ago. This was a result of the Representation of the People Act, which was passed on February 6, 1918 but came after much campaigning by suffragettes - many of whom were were jailed while fighting for the right to vote. See a summary of coverage available on Twitter Moments, and select opinion pieces on BBC News, The Independent and Cosmopolitan UK on what remains to be done.
Nancy Pelosi, the House Floor and American DREAMers
Democratic Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi used her "one minute" provided to her as House leader and talked for eight hours and seven minutes,urging Speaker Paul Ryan to ensure a vote to protect DREAMers - young undocumented immigrants who arrived in the United States as children. DREAMers had been protected from deportation under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, but the program was rescinded by Attorney General Jeff Sessions in September of last year. See Twitter Moments for highlights from Pelosi's filibuster-style speech.
Maclean's at a higher price point for men to reflect pay gap between men and women
Canadian news magazine Maclean's provided this week's issue with two separate covers and at two different prices - one at $8.81 for men, and the other at its regular price of $6.99 - to reflect and bring awareness to the 26 per cent gap between full-time wages paid to men and women in Canada. The $1.82 price differential will be donated to Indspire, a Indigenous-led registered charity that invests in the education of Indigenous people - a group for whom the pay gap is most extreme.
That's it! Go forth and shit disturb for the greater good.
About Kind Deeds Making the Internet Each Friday (or so), I will post highlights of cool people doing kind things that popped up in the news or in social media that week. Hopefully this will be inspirational in helping us all think about who we would like to acknowledge with gratitude, kudos or thanks. For future weekly highlights, be sure to send me anything you think would make for interesting reading.
To make the task of compiling Kind Deeds Making the Internet easier for me each week, I make sure to immediately take note when I come across a nice piece of news, or mentions on social media of humans being good. On the flip side, while searching for these positive stories, I can't help but notice just how many negative stories are out there as well. I haven't kept a running tally, but if I was a betting person I would not be surprised if someone did an analysis that revealed a monstrous number of bad stories over good. I mean, how many times have you ever thought we lived in The Bad Place or the Darkest Timeline??
That's why I think this weekly round-up - and 12 Months of Gratitude, in general - are so important. I'm a few days late with this post (I try to summarize and post on Fridays), but I'm still blogging about what I came across this week because it's hard to feel good about the state of the world when the scourge of humanity get all the airtime. Here are a few snippets for us all to reflect on what "being human" should really mean.
Businesses tackling the stigma of mental illness
The annual Bell Let's Talk campaign took place last week, which aims to bring awareness to issues surrounding mental health and, in particular, to promote "mental health awareness, acceptance and action built on...fighting stigma, improving access to care, supporting world-class research and leading by example in workplace mental health." Many folks in Canada contributed to the conversation; see this handy compilation by Bell of what Canadians had to say about mental illness.
Google has also been doing its part to involve others in conversations around emotional distress, and has created a Made by Google video campaign, drawing on the experiences of real people, to promote the work of the Suicide Prevention Lifelife.
Inspiring others in art, life and wellness
When music producer and DJ J.PERIOD was just a young man, he wrote a letter to Wyclef Jean of The Fugees to debate the meaning of one of his lyrics. To the young man's surprise, Wyclef not only responded, but actually called J.PERIOD to have a discussion. As put by J.PERIOD: "It was an unbelievable act of generosity from a superstar. The conversation lasted nearly an hour. I was floored, even more by what came next: a lyric on The Score dedicated to the Kid. I was just a fan, and the fact that Wyclef went so far to bless me will never be forgotten." Years later, the two met and rehashed the experience. For all the details, check out the story on Twitter.
It shocked many when celebrity fitness personality Bob Harper had a heart attack in February 2017. Thankfully, he survived and has been sharing his experience to help others in their own personal health journeys. He's written many books about health, and #twocupsin is only one of his latest initiatives to provide tips and advice on living a healthy life. Check out the episode on managing stress which aired last week. See the first ever clip where he explains what #twocupsin is all about. Helping those who need it the most
The Sunday Edition on CBC last weekend aired a story about a post office for the homeless in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. This post office was created by volunteer and Canadian immigrant Bin Wang at a community organization called Le Sac à Dos, and provides mail slots for people with no fixed address, who would have no way to receive mail otherwise. The story comes in at about five and a half minutes, and is a great listen for anyone needing a boost of faith in humanity.
Research conducted in 2011 and 2012 showed that more than one million Canadian households were either moderately or severely food insecure, meaning that they were sometimes uncertain of having, or being unable to acquire, enough food to meet the needs of everyone in the household - including children. A petition was started last week urging the Canadian government to implement a national anti-food waste law, "requiring that all supermarkets give unused food to foodbanks...It is doable, and it is already being done in communities worldwide." See highlights from News1130 on this movement to reduce food waste.
Locals helping locals
And finally, a story for those in Vancouver. Patrons of restaurant Café Medina will be glad to know the establishment has dropped its "no reservations" policy for the month of February in support of the BC Hospitality Foundation (BCHF), a local non-profit charity that provides support for individuals within the hospitality community who are coping with a financial crisis arising from a health or medical condition. The "Front of the Line" Fundraiser asks guests to make a $25 per table donation ($35 on Saturdays and Sundays), with 100 per cent of proceeds donated to BCHF. Read SCOUT Magazine's story for all the details.
That's it! Hope you're all making the most of your weekends. Be good to one another.
About Kind Deeds Making the Internet Each Friday (or so), I will post highlights of cool people doing kind things that popped up in the news or in social media that week. Hopefully this will be inspirational in helping us all think about who we would like to acknowledge with gratitude, kudos or thanks. For future weekly highlights, be sure to send me anything you think would make for interesting reading.
Welcome to the third instalment of Kind Deeds Making the Internet.
An observation: while last week seemed to be filled with good deeds in the news, I didn't notice nearly as much of that this week. But - is that because I was having a less-than-stellar week myself? If I had been in a more pleasant mood, would I have been more receptive to and observant of happy things in the news? Food for thought.
Celebrating the kindness of strangers
In the words of Twitter Moments: "When @AtticusGF found out his newborn daughter would need surgery and extensive physical therapy at just a few weeks old, he started a GoFundMe for friends and family to help with medical bills and lost income as he and his wife cared for their baby. What he didn't expect was how many strangers would join in with support, both financial and emotional." Check out the summary on Twitter Moments for the details.
Ladies: have you ever been in an awkward or even scary situation when someone you don't know comes up to you and refuses to leave you alone, despite polite refusals of advances? A woman shares how a stranger helped save her from an uncomfortable situation and gives me hope that there are others out there that will have our backs.
On the heels of last week's updates
Last week, I highlighted the brave women in the trial of Larry Nassar who have stepped forward to give their victim impact statements and expose his predatory actions. This week, Nassar was sentenced to up to 175 years in prison. Another good that came out of this horrific story? Those who gained a sisterhood of survivors.
More from Grey's Anatomy, who has been serving up a story arc involving domestic abuse. The episode which aired towards the end of last week put a particular spotlight on the issue, and provided information to viewers on how to go about contacting the National Domestic Violence Hotline (warning: story also contains show spoilers).
Marching on
Finally, a round-up of this week's good deeds would not be complete without a mention of the Women's March which took place in the United States, Canada and various locations throughout the world in the wake of the government shutdown. There's plenty of Women's March coverage out there, but I think my personal favourite sum-up is this tweet by Dan Hetteix:
That's it for now. Wishing you all a great weekend.
About Kind Deeds Making the Internet Each Friday (or so), I will post highlights of cool people doing kind things that popped up in the news or in social media that week. Hopefully this will be inspirational in helping us all think about who we would like to acknowledge with gratitude, kudos or thanks. For future weekly highlights, be sure to send me anything you think would make for interesting reading.
Welcome to Kind Deeds Making the Internet: #2! So many kind deeds in the news this week. Where to start?
How about these "regular dudes"
After 58 years watching over pools and beaches in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, lifeguard Glenn Schultz has hung up his whistle. As a teenager, Schultz saved a drowning boy and saw his future. Read about his career and the passion he brought to work on CBC News BC.
A group of burly, big-hearted mermen in Newfoundland, Canada raised over $300,000 for Spirit Horse NL, an organization that aims to "enhance the mental health and life skills of people through therapeutic interaction with horses." Well done, MerB'ys. Read the CBC News NL story. View their "tail" on Twitter moments.
Cranberries singer Dolores O’Riordan passed away this week in London. Remembered and beloved by many, friends and fans expressed sadness at this news, but also shared their fond memories, thoughts on her legacy and how much her music meant to them. See tributes on Rolling Stone and Variety.
You gotta fight for your rights
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day took place earlier this week. A recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, Dr. King will forever be known for his activism and work to advance civil rights through nonviolence.
American football free agent, activist and foundation founder Colin Kaepernick announced the first of 10 organizations that will benefit from the final $100,000 of his $1 million pledge to charity, some of which is being matched by other professional athletes and celebrities, such as Golden State Warriors’ Kevin Durant and Grey's Anatomy actor Jesse Williams. The Million Dollar Pledge started in October 2016, benefiting “organizations working in oppressed communities." Way to go, Kap and friends.
Speaking of Grey's Anatomy, actress Ellen Pompeo gave a frank, no-bullshit interview with The Hollywood Reporter on self-worth and negotiating for what she deserves. It kinda blew my mind. Read the whole thing - it's worth it. See Twitter Moments for a summary of reactions on Twitter.
Finally, anyone following the sentencing hearing of former USA Gymnastics physician Larry Nassar will know that this has been, in the words of The Washington Post, "a parade of horror and catharsis." As reported by The Guardian, Nassar last month "was sentenced to 60 years in federal prison in a separate case regarding child abuse images, faces an additional minimum sentence of 25 to 40 years after admitting to molesting girls at Michigan State University and his home under the guise of medical treatment." Sentencing continues for Nassar for sexually abusing girls in his care, including Olympians Jamie Dantzscher, McKayla Maroney and Simone Biles. And while the emerging stories of these girls not being believed upon first telling others is incredibly upsetting, it is heartening now to know that they are speaking out, speaking loud - and finally being heard. As Kyle Stephens says in her victim statement, "Little girls don't stay little forever. They grow into strong women that return to destroy your world." Props to these women who have been so brave in sharing their stories. Hopefully this will encourage others who have been abused to keep coming forward and outing these predators.
That's it! Have a wonderful weekend.
About Kind Deeds Making the Internet
Each Friday (or so), I will post highlights of cool people doing kind things that popped up in the news or in social media that week. Hopefully this will be inspirational in helping us all think about who we would like to acknowledge with gratitude, kudos or thanks. For future weekly highlights, be sure to send me anything you think would make for interesting reading.
Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. There's not much I can say about this incredible person that hasn't already been said more adequately by others. The King Center is a fantastic resource to learn more about Dr. King and provides this background on his life and philosophy:
Drawing inspiration from both his Christian faith and the peaceful teachings of Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. King led a nonviolent movement in the late 1950’s and ‘60s to achieve legal equality for African-Americans in the United States. While others were advocating for freedom by “any means necessary,” including violence, Martin Luther King, Jr. used the power of words and acts of nonviolent resistance, such as protests, grassroots organizing, and civil disobedience to achieve seemingly-impossible goals. He went on to lead similar campaigns against poverty and international conflict, always maintaining fidelity to his principles that men and women everywhere, regardless of color or creed, are equal members of the human family.
A great summary of Dr. King's words and achievements has also been collected on Twitter Moments.
Many like-minded associations and foundations encourage commemorating Dr. King by being of service to others. What did you get up to today? If you had today off, did you volunteer in your community? What did you do to help someone else? Let me know in the comments below.
When you think of where you are now, are you the person you always imagined you would be? Living the life you want? Doing the things you've always wanted?
I don't want to get too philosophical on this point - I'm certainly no expert myself - but was prompted to think about this today by something Chris Hardwick posted on Instagram.
Many of you may be aware of Hardwick from a variety of different places. Among his numerous endeavours, he is or has been a stand-up comedian, a television presenter, a writer, producer and probably much, more more - but my personal favourite, is that he created Nerdist Industries (listen to the podcasts - they're great!).
Here is what he had to say about following your own passions:
"GO MAKE YOUR THING!!! You don’t need permission. You just have to decide. And don’t listen to people who are telling you your thing is impossible because deep down your doing your thing reminds them how they’re not doing their thing. Being in a pit of inactivity sucks, and therefore other people will always try to have company. DON’T BE THAT COMPANY. Get out of the pit. Go make your damn thing."
Sadly, a few downers piped up negatively in response to this proving always that "haters gonna hate" (thanks, Taylor Swift). But thankfully, those who were inspired and wanted to be positive went ahead and did just that in the ensuing comments.
Thank you, Hardwick, for always encouraging others to be themselves and to do their own thing (as you always have), regardless of the naysayers out there. An additional thanks to everyone who chose to comment affirmatively on Hardwick's post. Way to contribute to the positive.
To everyone reading: go forth and create, y'all. You like photography? Go take photos. You like to draw? Go find your sketchbook. You want to write... maybe about being more grateful? Send me a submission and I'll post it (just a suggestion)!
Whatever it is you are passionate about, go out there and do it. You do you.
Welcome to the first post of Kind Deeds Making the Internet!
Each Friday (or so), I will post highlights of cool people doing kind things that popped up in the news or in social media that week. Hopefully this will be inspirational in helping us all think about who we would like to acknowledge with gratitude, kudos or thanks. For future weekly highlights, be sure to send me anything you think would make for interesting reading.
It hasn't quite been a full week since 12 Months of Gratitude has started but let's do a weekly round-up anyway, shall we? For this particular post, I think an alternate title might be: "How typically Canadian, eh?" Here are two stories about Canadian musicians doing nice things that made it onto the internet this week.
In Vegas, Canadian chanteuse Céline Dion gracefully handled an unruly fan, waving off her security team and choosing to handle the situation with compassion instead. Watch the video on CBC Radio q, and visit the Twitter moment for a summary of reactions.
In the words of Alan Doyle, lead singer of the band Great Big Sea, as posted on social media yesterday: "On November 19 last year, close to 50 of Canada’s most celebrated musicians gathered at the legendary The Commodore Ballroom [in Vancouver, British Columbia] to help a dear friend - John Mann, singer for Spirit of the West. John has early-onset Alzheimer's which demands incredible resources, and the musical community rallied for an amazing show of support in one unforgettable night of music and love. A makeshift studio was assembled in the building to record this song on the spot as a memento of the gathering and to help raise funds for John's continuing care. Please share far and wide as you like and give a little if you can." Watch Alan's video on Facebook. Donate to John Mann's gofundme campaign.
Jason Schneidman is a celebrity hairstylist and groomer and the proprietor of The Men's Groomer in Los Angeles. He also created the His Street Cuts campaign, providing free haircuts to LA's homeless population. Having struggled with addiction himself, after he got clean he recognized the importance of doing something to help others. As he says, "I was taught I have to give it away to keep it."
That's what this blog is about: giving it away to keep it.
Current State
It would be easy at this time in our history to throw our collective hands up and say, "Forget it! We've had enough." It can be difficult to find the good in our every day, given current political structures, populist views and incredibly divisive rhetoric we see in news headlines. I, for one, have never been fond of reading comments on news stories but in recent times, I have also grown increasingly weary of vitriol spewed on Facebook, Twitter and other social media.
12 Months of Gratitude
But I don't want to take myself out of the game. Instead of giving up, I'm leaning in. As much as our systems are flawed and imperfect, they are what we have. If the alternative is to not participate at all, then that's not good enough.
12 Months of Gratitude is an attempt to counter the negative. While gratitude and the concept of giving regular thanks is absolutely not new, I'm hoping this will be a way for us to see the good when so much around us is bad. This will be a place to give thanks - recognize those that are doing good in the world, provide kudos to those we've interacted with who have made a difference to others or helped us in some way, and share stories that inspire us to be and do better.
How It Works
Over the next 12 months, I want this blog to be a place for all of us. While I will certainly write about that which makes me grateful, I want all of you to do the same and your stories will be published here, on this blog.
Who can submit a story? Anyone.
Who can you thank or acknowledge? Whoever you like.
If you are reading this blog, then this blog belongs to you, too. It doesn't matter if you've never written anything before. If you want to submit a post, then do it! And of course, credit will be attributed to you. If you're shy and don't want to provide your name but still want to submit a story, we'll find a way to work around it e.g. written by "Anonymous." I am happy and more than willing to accommodate anyone who wants to share gratitude here.
For more on how to submit a post to this space, please read the Submission Guidelines.
I can tell people what I genuinely believe: if we take responsibility for being involved in our own fate - if we participate, if we engage, if we speak out, if we work in our communities, if we volunteer, if we see the joy that comes from service to others - then all the problems that we face are solvable despite all the terrible news that we see, despite all the genuine cruelty, pain and hardship that people are experiencing around the world at any given moment.
If you had to choose a moment in human history in which you wanted to be born and you didn't know at the time whether you were going to be Prince Harry or Barack Obama or a small child in rural Africa or India, you'd choose today, because the fact is: the world is healthier, wealthier, better educated, more tolerant, more sophisticated, and less violent than just about any other time in human history.
It seems impossible to be able to change the world but I think Obama's stance on this is something worth remembering. Despite all the negative, there's no better time to create change - and be grateful - than right now.
For our part, let's contribute to the positive. Let's give it away to keep it.
