The World Seems Fucked - Keep Hoping On (Patreon)

Shit seems fucked doesn't it? We're being cooked alive, fascism appears to be on the rise, politics are an absolute mess, the lives of many people are put on the line for absolutely arbitrary reasons day after day...

It's enough to make the most optimistic of people lose hope isn't it? It's enough to make you just accept things as they come and allow all the awfulness to take place. Maybe it's just human nature, right? People are awful and there's so very little we can do to change it.

Yeah.

No, thank you.

The world is in a bad state right now, there's no denying that. Pretending things are going just fine is not only delusional, but at this point, damaging to Humanity as a whole. And it's not just climate crisis, either- Injustice, inequality, systematic persecution of unprivileged groups of people, something is going to break eventually, and the consequences on both sides are going to be dire. It threatens the very foundation of civilization, and casts doubt to how things may or may not go in the future- And if we're unlucky, if we'll even be there to see it in the first place.

Indeed, if you've been on the Internet for any amount of time, then you know the stream of bad news and awful stories just doesn't stop. It's a continuum of problems, bad decisions, sadness and death wherever you look.

And it gets so fucking exhausting.

There's too much to take into account, there's too many things going on at the same time, too many bad things that need to be fixed and changed, it overwhelms one with raw, unadulterated negativity. That is a consequence of the world we live in, of our Globalized World, right? We're all connected, so we're all able to see each other's misery and suffering, all of the tragedy that happens on the globe at the same time, and the lack of regard or care with which people in charge of taking care of it handle them. Sometimes it seems like it'd be better if we weren't able to see all of this tragedy happening at the same time...

And that's where I step in and say no.

No, we would absolutely not be better if the world were less Globalized, if we knew less about each other. On a personal level we may feel better, but it would do nothing to fix the problems at their very root.

As it stands right now, a lot of News Outlets and things that get spread Online run on a simple concept that is always important to keep in mind. Whenever you see the tragedy happening, whenever you see bad things going on, acknowledge it, yes- But also remember that morbid stories and problems sell. They sell a lot more than feel-good stories. For every awful action that happens in the world, something good is happening as well. They just don't get showcased as much. They just don't pack as much of a punch when you read it. Some say  that Humans are bad, or greedy, but I do not believe it.

Even in this world we live in, where people seem to lack any regard or care for each other on a surface level. Even with the Internet telling us that people other than ourselves do not matter in the slightest. Even with the cruelty everyone seems to face on a daily basis, kindness and goodness is pervasive and prevalent. That is my one true and absolute belief, that our nature is kind and good. The issue comes from the few people that have a lot of power and use it to do evil. With the feeling of entitlement that comes when some people are buttered up in the worst ways, and twisted to do bad things.

It's no coincidence things such as 'love always triumphs' are a well-known classical trope. There's inherent good in Humankind, and yes, we can be twisted, and yes we can do awful things to each other, to ourselves. But ultimately, that's why these acts of evil in the world have so much punch.

We're shocked that someone would do such things. We feel empathy for the victims of such atrocities, we want change to come. We want good. And so, we see good acts so inherent that they don't have as much of an effect on us. They're the standard. They're what SHOULD be happening. And when we're fed the bad things that happen everywhere on the world- Why, we can barely handle the bad things that happen to us and our communities, seeing everything that could go wrong, at the same time, is overbearing, it's harsh. It's simply too much for a single person to handle.

Denial that things are going wrong is harmful, because it allows the wrong to keep being done. But there's a difference between acknowledgement and engagement. Between knowing, and being aggressively fed every piece of bad news ever at the same time. I've seen some people worry about doing just about anything- Worrying that they could be doing more to help someone or help Humanity. That by supporting something bad they're perpetuating this climate of awful things going on. But if you overthink every last little detail of your harmless intention, worrying how it could ripple into something bigger, you would never enjoy anything.

Fandom, series we enjoy, games we play. Books we read, fixations we love. All of that serves to distract us from the harshness of reality, but it doesn't muddle or obscure our drive to help. If anything, when we're enjoying something, don't we want to share it with other people? Bring the joy it brings us to others? Form communities, form ties. In our current society, we're told these acts of bonding can be frivolous. It is a past-time, it's what you do when you're not working, that work is the important thing. And yet, being able to interact with other human beings on a positive capacity- Isn't that the joy we get on a daily basis? Isn't that the polar opposite to being fed awful news all day long?

We deserve a break. It's okay to be concerned for the state of the world, but harming yourself in the process of helping by worrying so much about things you're unable to change on an individual level is just counterproductive.

The point I am trying to make here is that, while it's important to know where things are going wrong, Humanity is not inherently evil or destined to keep doing wrong. Even when these bad actions seem to gain power or traction, there's a lot of silence through fear, through ignorance, and through lack of knowledge of what's going on. Not because good doesn't exist- Not because people aren't good, but because of various factors, what's bad just appears louder.

It's okay to feel bad for others. To try and help with every little action, even though it may not individually make much of a change. It's not even about the combined effort making a difference in the end. You deserve to feel good. By yourself. Individually. You deserve to feel like you're making a change, even if it is minor and insignificant. Smiling at the little victories, taking the good you hear and see happening around you to heart. Don't let the bad things deconstruct your inherent goodness. You have gotten this far. Humanity has gotten this far. Love and Kindness isn't going anywhere, even if bad days are ahead, even if really awful things may be coming, we have each other, and we will push together, as a unit.

Because that's the best thing about Globalization in my eyes. I've talked about the bad of it, how it pushes this climate of awful things happening all at once. How it allows you to see the bad things happening everywhere. It's tiring. It's exhausting. But you never see just bad things happening, do you?

Whenever an unfair law is passed, you will see protests. Whenever someone dies, you will see the sadness in other people. Even in places where expressing yourself is a crime, you will still see people being themselves, and pushing. Fighting to make this world a better world.

That is the power of Globalization. Of the Internet. Of building our Community in this sense. We're all connected. Our pain is shared for everyone to see, but so is our fight. Our struggle.

Whenever someone thinks they can get away with an evil deed to line their pockets, they're called out. Whenever a government tries to veer into fascism, we know. Could we be doing more? Maybe. Maybe we could, maybe we are going to be doing more. But even when, through loopholes in the law people get away with their actions, even when someone appears to come out of what they did totally unscathed?

We know. We are aware of what is going on and what they're doing. And not just on a local scale, but a global one. We've survived. We've done good. We've pushed through, when our communities were much more insular and isolated from each other. And now that we're closer than ever?

We are not going to simply lay down and disappear. No matter how bad things get.

There's a lot of worry about where we're headed. Conflict that's to come, danger to our future survival. And it is true, while we're more united than ever, we're also seeing a lot of more drastic things taking place all around us and pushing this danger ever so closer to being a harmful reality.

And really... Most of what I am saying here stems from my own beliefs. What gives me Hope to keep going, to keep doing what I love and interacting with people. There's no solid, hard evidence about a lot of this stuff, and everyone's experiences are different with people around them. Some may also have a more positive or negative outlook on the Internet and Globalization. But... What's the point in being cynical?

What do you gain, if you consider there's no inherent good in Humanity? Why give in to a nihilistic destiny of just acceptance of the bad things that happen?

There's few things that make me more angry than acceptance of bad things. Even if we cannot change them right now, even if we individually can't push through them, you have to assert your beliefs. You have to shout it out and let everybody know. If the people doing evil do it undisputed, they will keep doing it. And while I'm totally for Nazi Punching, I'm not saying physical, direct action- Just push those ideas. Those beliefs. Be heard by others, show others that share your views that they're not alone, and put pressure on the ones harming others. Let it mount, until your shouts are a collective roar.

The first step in changing the word for the better, is letting those you want to change know you exist.

So Exist. Live. And help yourself and others around you do so.

When someone doesn't believe you to be worthy of being called a person, the most rebellious act you can possibly come up with is living for yourself and finding happiness around you.

So all of you, stay positive, and believe that things will better.

Shout it to the four winds, and enjoy yourself. 

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