The world is a wicked place. We hear this every day. The perpetually spinning media machine catapults endless tragedies across our screens at a rate that suggests the end of days. Whether it’s climate change, terrorism, murder, or pedophilia, “news” makes money off of tragedy, and ratings soar when controversy arises. But it’s not entirely the media’s fault. As humans, whether we are producing journalism or reading it, we are biologically hardwired for the darker side. The cave person in us looks for danger to avoid it. The modern human often seeks tales of danger and evil to share them in conversation. It seems we are complicit in creating a wicked world view, but we don’t need to be.
The old maxim says that what we feed is what we grow. Give your brain the bad storylines it seeks and you will manifest negativity. Feed it love and kindness and you’re one step closer to optimism. There are those who say it’s naïve to be mindlessly positive, because in the face of evil, how can one pretend all is well? But have you ever really witnessed true evil, or only seen it in the news? Here’s some news you may not hear about: There are fewer people living in extreme poverty than at any point in humankind’s history. South Korea has made it illegal to eat dogs. British Columbia terminated the grizzly-bear hunt. Forty-eight countries have committed to 100 per cent renewable-energy goals by 2050. New Zealand vowed to house every homeless person during the past winter and pledged $100 million to make it happen. Weed is legal in Canada. New cases of HIV are on the decline and have been for years. Humans are doing their best to be better, even if we don’t often hear about it. Consider rejecting the wickedness and not being a willing partner to the collective depression. Your attention is sacred. We needn’t question why we watch and read about the worst of the world, but we could be more curious about the wonderful that lies waiting just beyond the screen. Wicked ain’t got shit on wonder. Believe that. — Mike Berard, editor
