7 reasons to not lose hope in humanity

There are those days – something bad has happend, it’s all over the news. Wherever you go you see headlines about it, the radio keeps you up to date half-hourly and your family and friends only want to discuss this one topic. You look in the mirror – stare directly at yourself and wonder if – if you had been raised differently, if you had lost everything, if you had believed in something else – would you have done the same thing. Are humans born to commit crime or are they raised to do so?

If you are like me and stand in the bath looking at your reflection in the mirror a lot, then these tips might help you to not lose hope and faith in humanity.

1. Look at children

A lot of crises that torment the world at the moment, have to do with prejudice, racial differences and religious backgrounds. Non of us can say that we are free of these, no matter what developed and multicultural country we come from.

Everybody has already been so brainwashed by society, that it’s simply impossible to distinguish whether we have come to our core beliefs and ideology based on personal experience, or based on stereotypes we heard. But if you watch children you can observe that they don’t make decisions based on societies opinion but rather based on their own. Humans aren’t born racist, it is something they become during the course of their life.

2. Do something good

Get active! To be able to look into you own eyes in the mirror and so you can tell yourself truthfully that you have done something against your own demons, you should get out there, and help those who suffer.

Since you get more joy out of giving joy to others, you should put a good deal of thought into the happiness that you are able to give.

Eleanor Roosevelt

Nothing could be more truthful. If you give things to others, things that only you are able to give them, then it isn’t only them that will have gained something, you will have as well. The best things in life are free!

3. Get politically active

You are now most likely rolling your eyes and say: “No, I’m not going to. I have a job, kids etc.” Bla, bla, bla. I hear so many people complaining about global crises and what solutions they would find soooo much better, but in the end – nobody is doing anything.

In the past our ancestors had to fight to have a say in politics, while nowadays nobody wants to care. This, by the way, is also the reason why so many right-winged extremist political parties temporary have such a rise in power.

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.

Edmund Burke

So if you want to change something, go into politics, because just complaining about things not working out, won’t get you anywhere.

4. Look at the facts and inform yourself

Another thing you shouldn’t do, is look away. This is easily done in modern days, since due to terrible things appearing in the news, we become immune to them. To prevent yourself from becoming a hardhearted and uncaring person, please at least look the evil in the eyes, instead of refusing to see it.

5. Don’t be scared

The thing that usually keeps us from doing something is anxiety. Because we know what happend to others that have said something before us, we don’t want to speak up. We are scared and want to prevent the same thing from happening to us.

But if you continue hiding, you will never make a change!

6. Don’t forget about the good things

For your own peace of mind, please don’t let the bad things outshine (outshadow) the good. You can’t always see everything black and white. Our world is full of colors and some of them will be beclouded by the bad while the good will brighten others. We just need to balance them in out mind.

7. Write it down

First thing to do when you don’t know how to deal with something, is always to talk to somebody about it. But if you aren’t good at speaking about your feelings with someone else, then write it down. Make a private diary and tell an imaginary person all of your thoughts. Sometimes you must just put your feelings into phrases to understand them better. Understanding is the first step to overcome your mental crisis and to not lose hope.

Tell me if you agree with this list and whether you look at yourself in the mirror a lot while having such thoughts. (-_^)