A Positive Place

With humor, faith, and optimism, this blog will give you information and encouragement to help you feel and be more positive in a negative world.

Regarding recent expressions of evil and the good news. 

George Floyd, a man in Minneapolis who had been arrested and subdued was killed by a police officer, while other officers did not stop him. It may or may not have been intentional but it was tragic. The police officer has been arrested and the other officers fired. We’ve yet to see how this works out.

Thousands protested Floyd’s death. The protests became something more, violent riots…destruction and looting. So in the name of “justice” riots erupted across the country leaving many injustices behind. By their very nature, riots are expressions of injustice.

I did not revisit this to make you feel bad, but to put some things into perspective. According to the media large and small, that was our world: angry people, burning buildings, hatred, fear, and distrust.

We must not let the media frame and define our reality. We must think for ourselves. The truth is, that our whole world is not defined by recent images or feelings. Though evil and tragic things happen, they are not the sum of our reality.  While thousands of people gave in to anger and hate to do evil things, millions did not. While a few policemen were not “protecting and serving” thousands were.  We must not define our nations or societies by the latest evil.

I call it evil because it is. Evil caused injustice to George Floyd and to those injured, killed,  and bankrupted by its expression in the riots. Burning and looting represent evil as clearly as the circumstances of George Floyd’s death.

But the GOOD NEWS is that millions of Americans did not participate in those evil acts but represented different values. Daily they love rather than hate. They build rather than destroy. They work together. They play together. They serve their country together. They serve God together.  Sometimes when fear and anger try to steal our peace we must remember there is much more to our world that their pressure. Sometimes it is good to step back and take a deep breath. Before falling for negative influences we need to make sure we have the facts and that our responses will improve things not have the opposite effect.

I do not propose that we look at life through rose-colored glasses. But our lives must not devolve into Network News Headlines. Life, the World is so much more. Let us confront the negative while remaining positive. I know that many popular narratives of late make us see our world, our future as doom and gloom. That is not the thing to embrace. It takes you to a fearful, hopeless place. If your life is to be as wonderful as it can be you must reject the pessimism and the temptation to believe the sky is falling each time people do evil things.

We live in an imperfect world, but a beautiful one…with many beautiful people around us. Troubles do not erase all the good in the world, in your world, in my world. We must keep perspective. Keep in mind, you have one life. Live it positively. Don’t forget life is filled with beauty.