Don't let bad news get you down. No matter how bad things seem, consider that you enjoy the benefit of all the accumulated knowledge and achievement of mankind, not to mention accumulated stuff. If the world should end today, your span of time on this earth will have been some of the best days that ever were. (And you'd miss out on the many aches and pains of old age.)
None of the ancient kings had toilets or toilet paper. None of the pharaohs had ice cream or even refrigeration, and even the great industrialists of the golden age missed out on TV and console games.
You live in an era when more things are possible than ever before. People are living longer, and enjoy more leisure time than any other time in history. Many destructive diseases have been eradicated and new treatments have been discovered for old ailments. Too much food is more common a problem than too little food, and leisure activities like music, theater, travel, education and civic engagement are available to more people than ever before.
Don't worry about global warming or catastrophic weather change - if our actions made this weather, then we can find new ways to control the weather and someday make it what we want. If we live through this era, we'll emerge in an age where we control the wind and rain, and let the sun to do our work for us.
Don't worry that big money lobbyists so shamelessly control candidates through election financing. All that political spending is designed to influence you, the voter. The fact that they spend many millions of dollars on election advertising proves how valuable your vote really is. Think about that.
Don't worry about the armed maniacs everywhere, they're really most likely to hurt themselves. All we can do is stay well away from their world of hurtfulness, live our lives fully now, and embrace as much as we can of those things that bolster goodness in our world.
Don't worry that mankind is basically a blind, bungling, self destructive animal; we've never been any less so and we've gotten this far. At least overall we're moving in the right direction.
The world may seem Godless, but you don't have to believe in God to believe in Good or to be good. The main thing is that you have to practice Goodness, and the more you practice, the easier it gets.
The best news is that happiness is within your reach, no matter what else is happening in the news or in your life. There are practical, non-medical steps you can take to improve your overall happiness regardless of your actual circumstances.
Here are some fun self-help doodads to make it easier.The Key to Happiness is the Right Perspective
We can help you find it and keep it. These can be funny times in the best possible way.
Check out our songs to sing. Check out our places to go, things to do, and our civic minded and transit page. Check out our cheap, easy, nutritious recipies.