“We Ruin Everything.” My brain was drawn to this old podcast episode of “Anything Goes” by Emma Chamberlain like a moth to a flame, probably because it feeds into the deep rooted negativity bias we share as humans. This trend toward thoughts of disaster keeps us from dying but also from falling asleep at night; it is the catastrophizing that makes us human. No matter the cause, since I moved to New York City and have been surrounded by several million more human beings, I have realized that we are quite good at ruining things.Â
In the episode, Chamberlain shares around 20 things she thinks we have ruined as a species, ranging from microtrends to band T shirts. While I do not have quite that many (though I could probably get there if I really tried), I started thinking of my own list of things we have ruined.Â
- Park benches
I would like to be able to sit in Union Square Park or Madison Square Park without people smoking something on both sides of me. Parks were created to improve public health—not ruin my lungs—and protect natural landscapes—not further drive up our carbon footprint.Â
- YouTube
Or, more specifically, YouTube Shorts. Can there be one place where I can watch a study with me video or fun vlog without the constant temptation of an even faster dopamine hit? The temporary pleasure loop social media creates is ruining the mundane joys of life.Â
- The art of stumbling uponÂ
New York City has become the land of lines. I cannot go for a run or walk to class without seeing at least two lines wrapped around the block. Media saturation is destroying the art of stumbling upon restaurants and shops and driving up the prices of some of life’s simple pleasures, whether it is a cup of frozen yogurt or coffee. I want to explore without the peer pressure of wondering if I should wait an hour for a bagel.Â
- Bags of Halloween candyÂ
Luckily, I inherited enough small candy bars to avoid spending an arm and a leg on a big bag of Halloween candy this year. Surely, cocoa powder and sugar are not that expensive. And if they are, at least make some smaller bags, please?
- ThanksgivingÂ
What happened to celebrating Thanksgiving? Where are the cute Turkey Day commercials, full of fall place settings, potato mashers and gravy boats? The season of harvest is less obvious in the middle of Manhattan than it was in Kansas, but Thanksgiving seems to have disappeared between more commercial holidays. In fact, I think gratitude has an even more important place now that Halloween and Christmas have become so much more commercial. Turkeys deserve as much attention as ghosts and reindeer.Â
- Election season commercials
Election season is finally over, which also means the end of daily spam text messages and campaign ads. I may not know what every candidate was doing well, but I certainly know what their opponents were doing wrong. Once again, the negativity sticks in our brains more than the positive, and sometimes, a girl just wants to watch a football game or “Dancing With the Stars” without being bombarded with political agendas.Â
On the other hand, since moving to New York, I’ve also been surrounded by so many good people and things. I mean, I live in a place with seven Whole Foods Markets within easy walking distance. I can clean my entire apartment in an hour. I can listen to an audiobook through Bluetooth headphones while I run by the river. Art is always being made, and homes are always being built. So, in that spirit, here are some things we do really well as a species.
- HopeÂ
Humans always keep going. We yearn for things we do not know will exist. We search for meaning and purpose beyond survival, and yet we still survive. Sure, we cannot breathe underwater or glow in the dark, but we can hope that our futures will be better than our pasts. And that is not nothing.
- HolidaysÂ
I believe there is always a reason to celebrate, and our species does this incredibly well. In fact, I am writing this on National Candy Day and my dad’s birthday! Christmas has its own music genre; moms and dads both get a day to celebrate their hard work; and we even have a whole weekend dedicated to not working. We can wrap presents and give presents in the first place. We can care, and that is worth celebrating every day of the year.
- SportsÂ
Humans are capable of some incredibly niche but incredibly cool things. We can throw a baseball over 100 mph and do a back tuck on a four inch beam. Humans are one of the best endurance athletes in the animal kingdom, capable of running marathons and open-water swimming for miles. The physical abilities are amazing, but the mental and emotional ones gained through sports might be even better. They teach us resilience, teamwork, and confidence, skills no other species could utilize as we do.Â
- ArtÂ
Not only can humans use tools, but we use them to make the most amazing things: skyscrapers, sculptures, albums, pastries, movies, books, dances, paintings, and the list goes on. Not only do we recognize beauty, but we express and recreate it.
Emma Chamberlain is not wrong. We ruin things. But, if we never ruined anything, would there ever be room for new things? For instance, if the art of stumbling upon had not been ruined, I never would have found some of my favorite bites in the city.Â
I am not advocating for people to destroy good things. Some actions can never be undone, and I do not take that lightly. But, in general, the focus does not have to stay on the negatives that come with the things we ruin. As long as people are imperfect, we are bound to ruin things and, to a degree, expect the bad. It is a condition of our survival and our determination to leave some kind of mark on this planet. However, this cycle of making and unmaking connects us, and I know we are going to keep creating some really good things in the process.