Our world today seems to be filled with an unending string of bad news. I don’t know whether it is magnified because the news cycle is neverending and every breaking story is sensationalized to grab our attention – or is it just a natural negative cycle that we are going through? Whatever it is, it is becoming more disturbing as each day passes.
We live in a world of cycles; some up, some down. It is the natural progression of things, and we all used to believe that if things got bad, we would work through them and there would eventually be a silver lining. These days however, that silver lining is getting pretty hard to find.
The world looks dark at this moment in time. The news media tell us more than we ever wanted to know about atrocities occurring in different parts of the world. We are becoming accustomed to reports 24/7 about massacres of innocent people, riots, unrest, Ebola, drugs, poverty, corruption, etc. This is nothing new, of course; we have always had tragedies, pain and suffering to deal with throughout the ages, but there always seemed to be a light at the end of the tunnel with something or someone to guide us through.
I know that in my darkest moments, when things looked hopeless, I could turn to my faith in God. I could always find comfort in knowing that if I truly trusted in Him and put my troubles in His hands, everything would be all right. This is how many people find the strength they never knew they had when trying to overcome obstacles in their lives, and thankfully we are still able and free to worship as we wish without fear.
I am concerned, however, that our culture is changing our way of thinking, and not for the better. If you pay attention to popular culture today, you find that it is extremely dark, planting seeds of negativity, violence and coarseness. Our world is reflected in films, television, books, music and attitudes. Look at the types of programs that are popular. “The Walking Dead,” “Breaking Bad,” “American Horror Story” and the ridiculous reality shows. Violent and sexually explicit music glorifies killing cops and disrespecting women. What we are seeing and being bombarded with every day is a chipping away of traditional values and morals. The basic foundation of who we are as a country is slowly disappearing and is being replaced by decadence, harshness and corruption.
We are lacking one of the main things that hold us together as a nation, and that is optimism. Optimism: hopefulness and confidence about the future or the successful outcome of something. The belief that good ultimately predominates over evil in the world. The belief that goodness pervades reality, and that the existing world is the best of all possible worlds.
Where has that attitude gone? When and how did we lose it? Looking back in history, we had it during the darkest times of the Civil War mainly because of a leader like Abraham Lincoln. We had it during the tumultuous days of World War II when Franklin Roosevelt would speak to a terrified nation and reassure them that America would prevail. John F. Kennedy provided optimism when he gave rousing speeches that promised a brighter and more unified tomorrow. And Ronald Reagan brought us out of the depths of the malaise of the 1970s with his uplifting, positive and often humorous talks and speeches to the American people and his willingness to work with his opponents and compromise for the good of the country.
Up until recently, it seemed that no matter what your political views were or whether you were rich or poor, or a different ethnicity, we all were in this together. Yes, there have always been disagreements and upheaval, but in the end someone rallied us and gave us optimism and something to believe in. Today, all I see is a country severely divided and being torn apart. I see the very people who should be a calming, uniting force agitating and stoking the fires of racism, class envy and economic warfare. Instead of leading with an understanding, positive and optimistic voice, these people are using their words as weapons of destruction, creating hatred, anger and envy among all Americans, dividing them into camps to fight against each other.
Who will be the voice to unite us once again? Or is it too late? I for one am optimistic, because I believe that someone will emerge and lead us out of this darkness that we have been in for far too long. I believe that God has a plan and will send the right person at the right time, and once again we will step into the light. Perhaps we have been in the dark for a reason. Maybe it was to wake us up and bring us back to the things that are really important in life.
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