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Jessica wrote

This isn't a dystopian world! Right now there is a smaller percentage of humanity involved in active conflict than ever before in history. People are living longer, food is cheaper, proles like us can access the greatest library in human history by going online.

There are some funky things happening in the news these days, but don't lose sight of the good things. I consider the whole Trump affair to be somewhat positive because he's a patsy who is uncovering the rot and corruption that was under the surface of the U.S. government. (Though he has brought pain and poverty to millions of people, so it's also a terrible thing)

These days women are being taken seriously with sexual harassment complaints, which is progress from when they would be shoved under the rug.

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[deleted] wrote

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Jessica wrote

If you tend to be a pessimist, you should limit your news sources as much as you can comfortably deal with.

If the bad news overwhelms us and shuts us down then we need to lower it, but if it makes us complacent and carefree then we need to increase our news consumption so that we keep in mind the tasks that must be done to improve the world.

It's not a good strategy to blindly stay positive. It has frail foundations and could shatter at any moment. It is better to keep positive things close to support ourselves.

It's good to keep our eyes open to terrible things happening in the world, but it is a bad idea to give ourselves completely to a cause. You need to set yourself up for the long haul. Be happy. Enjoy the things you enjoy, and upon that solid foundation of your life, you can better propagate your cause.

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