As someone with a naturally positive disposition, I am attuned to finding the good in everything. I instinctively come back to the conclusion that everything will turn out okay. Yet when the world is in constant agony, my positivity is bound to be shaken, and rightfully so. I deeply struggle to reconcile all the evil in our world with the fact that goodness still exists. Indeed, no matter how dark everything gets, there will always be light, whether within the youthful disposition of the elderly woman beside me at a cafe or the roars of laughter radiating from the neighbourhood park. I sometimes think it would be easier to digest the state of the world if everything was static, but this will never be the case. The world is in a constant flux of good and bad. In the hospital, new life is born as young and old souls pass on, almost always too soon. Downtown, people huddle under shopping carts for shelter, with the very same cart being used a block south to buy a birthday gift for a best friend. Further, the woes of life extend beyond the small corners of Kingston, and so do the hums of sweetness.
Despite being naturally positive, I have trouble believing that good will always prevail. Maybe I will be one of the fortunate ones where this is true, but how can my happiness serve as a testament to the goodness of the universe when this does not hold true for all? This I do not know, nor do I expect to ever know. These things are irreconcilable, indigestible, and simply outside of our realm of understanding. Yet what I do know is that happiness is collective. The only say I get in this matter, given the state of affairs of the world, is my own personal actions. The only step forward is evaluating what actions I can take to try and tip the pendulum, letting good prevail for maybe just one day.
I think there exists a balance between getting too caught up in the pain of the world and thinking you can float above it all. This balance exists in trying to spread kindness whenever and wherever you can. It’s in those small acts of compassion that we find solace amidst the chaos and contribute to a world that’s a little bit brighter for everyone. In the end, while we may not have control over the entirety of the world’s suffering, we do have agency over our actions and the ability to make a positive impact, however small it may seem. So, what conclusions can I come to on how to balance my positivity with the stark reality of a hauntingly dark world? The truth is, I have still not mastered this task. Nonetheless, I believe we all have the capability to sprinkle some light here and there, and that we must never accept injustice as a given.