When my 10th grade English class sat down to read the first book of Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy, my teacher told us we were only going to be reading the Inferno, as it focused on the bad, gruesome details of life, because according to her, it was no fun to just read about the happy things. In her mind, we would only be interested in the sad, horrific, and horrible events, because it’s simply not as entertaining to hear about the good. As much as I try to be a glass-half-full type of person, it’s hard to disagree with this statement, and I think that this is especially true today, especially with what we see in the media. While bad news does give us a motivation to fight and make change, we need the reminder that our work is worth it. Sometimes, amidst all the headlines of shootings, sordid rumors, and corrupt politics, it can be hard to remember the good in the world, although we all deserve to hear about it every once in a while.
For the first time in 10,000 years, more than half of the world‘s population is not living in poverty.
Suicide rates have dropped by 38% in the past 25 years, thus saving four million lives.
New Zealand is now the second country in the world to give victims of domestic violence 10 days of paid leave.
India has had a 22% drop in maternal deaths in the past five years, meaning that 30 mothers are being saved on average everyday.
Voter turnout in the 2018 midterms was the highest it has been in a century, with 49.3% of voting-eligible population turning out.
The European Parliament has now passed a ban on single-use plastic products, which will be in full effect in 2021.
Twenty-six states and Washington D.C. passed 67 bills aimed at halting gun violence.
In The United States, wages have increased, and unemployment has fallen to its lowest level.
Along with Colorado electing the first openly gay governor, the first Muslim and Native American Women were elected to Congress.
Mountain gorillas, one of the world’s most endangered species, has increased in population in central African forests by 25% since 2010.
Image Credit: Lisa Congdon, 365 Days of Hand Lettering