I will periodically present recent news that is inspirational, showcases the pinnacles of human achievement, or demonstrates our amazing ability to continuously innovate and find solutions for the myriad challenges of life on Earth.
The news media overwhelmingly focuses on negativity, not because it is an accurate representation of reality, but because that is what gets clicks (before clicks existed, the newspapermen used to say “if it bleeds, it leads”). If we choose to consume this negativity we will become negative people who suffer from mental illness. Consuming negative media, leads to negative thoughts and negative intentions, which leads to negative words and actions, which leads to more suffering.
Conversely, if we choose to consume positive news, we will be happier, more well-adjusted, and more skillful professionally and in our relationships with other.
While we want to be cognizant that there is certainly suffering all around us, this should motivate us to use our collective genius to find solutions. As a species we have been doing exactly this and the pace has accelerated in recent decades. By almost any objective standard, life for the median person on Earth has never been better than it is now.
Let’s all appreciate that we are living in a Golden Age.
A Podcast that will improve your life quickly
Andrew Huberman, PhD is a tenured professor of neurobiology at Stanford. He links the latest scientific research with how to make tangible positive changes to your life. Within the first few episodes (specifically the one called “Mastering Your Sleep and Being More Alert When Awake”), I was going to sleep and waking up two hours earlier. Other episodes tackle hormone balance, success, diet, learning, creativity, pain management, romantic relationships, and other topics.
Large-scale technological innovation
As these areas head towards exceptionally low cost, humans will have almost unlimited supply of computing power, communications, energy, transportation, information and water.
The Six Laws of Zero That Will Shape Our Future – HumanProgress
Nuclear energy advances over the past four years are significant. I may write more about this in the future, but the next generation of nuclear power plants are designed to be small, cheap and meltdown-proof. The enhanced safety is due to using fuel (like thorium) that fissions at too low of a temperature to melt metal or achieving the same result by evenly mixing conventional (e.g., uranium-based) fuel with a material that controls the reaction for the life of the reactor. Nuclear energy is also, of course, emission-free which means it will need to be an important component of our energy future if folks are serious about reducing carbon dioxide emissions.
The Nuclear Energy Tech Of The Past Four Years Will Blow Your Mind (thefederalist.com)
Some folks are using the pandemic lockdowns to learn new valuable skills
About 6 in 10 Americans have “leveled up” at least one of their hobbies during lockdown and expect to become experts on it soon. 25% have received a prize or award. 40% believe they will make money off it.
A woman taught her dog how to read flash cards with numbers and colors on them….and she turned it into an online business – selling flash cards for dogs.
Brave and altruistic humans
Nearly all humans have the innate capacity for empathy. Our feelings of empathy for the suffering of others can spur us to altruism, even in the face of danger.
8-year-old boy saves sister’s life after watching how to do CPR on TV show. As a parent, I am sometimes amazed by how brave my children are. They haven’t been socialized to doubt themselves or be scared or think about all the things that could go wrong. They just jump in and do or say what they think is right without regards for consequence, because they don’t know any different. It is wonderful and pure.
8-Year-Old Boy Who Learned CPR from a John Cena Nickelodeon Show Uses It To Save Sister (msn.com)
Couple adopts 7 siblings whose parents died in car crash. This is a story about a couple who had a house recently emptied of their biological children and felt called to raise another set of children whose parents had just recently passed in a car crash.
Couple Adopts 7 Siblings Whose Parents Died In Car Crash (sunnyskyz.com)
Police have been in the news a lot recently for some negative outcomes from traffic stops. We should hold our police (and all public servants) to a high standard of behavior with full accountability. When they do something truly noteworthy or heroic, that should also be a big news story. (spoiler: it’s not, because the media regularly gives negative stories 1000x the bandwidth of positive stories)
Florida highway police help deliver a baby on the side of the road after stopping the car for speeding.
Florida troopers help deliver baby on side of road during traffic stop: report | Fox News
Phoenix police save a driver’s life who is unconscious inside a burning car.
Phoenix police save driver trapped in burning car, video shows | Fox News
Positive environmental news
The American bald eagle is making a soaring comeback from the endangered species list
Once nearly extinct, American bald eagle populations are soaring (msn.com)
Endangered tigers have made a remarkable comeback in five countries
Far fewer people are dying of natural disasters than before
‘This isn’t just luck’: why fewer people are dying from natural disasters – Positive News
Circular economy: startups are trying to extract value from trash
Circular economy: six trash-busting startups that are reimagining rubbish – Positive News
Fusion