This week I drove past a tree that had exploded into full blossom since I last saw it. It was pink and fluffy like something out of a Disney film! Its unexpected appearance took my breath away and bought a beam to my face. Sights such as these are such a tonic for all the non-Disney disasters happening the world over.
These days the news is often full of misery and horror rather than presenting a more balanced, whole view of the world. While some readers can’t stop feeding on the death and destruction that fill our newspapers despite feeling overwhelmed by it, others simply opt out of reading about world news altogether.
This week I was reminded of the importance of sharing the shinier side of humanity. A local resident shared a story about the kindness of a stranger on our Facebook page. In contrast to most news being bias towards the bleak, this stood out like a belisha beacon amidst a catalogue of complaints and concerns. And it lifted my heart and spirit enormously as I’m sure it did for others. How refreshing.
I am not pro pretending that terrible things don’t happen or that problematic situations don’t need addressing. I certainly don’t agree with the positivity police position of shutting down, shaming or sidelining anything that isn’t Disney-esque. I just believe that the two sides of life co-exist, giving balance and wholeness. If all we see reported in our newspapers is death and destruction, our ability to notice the Disney-esque may diminish. Balanced news coverage can support us to keep seeing all that is wonderful in this world despite all that is not.
The fact is that a glass that is half full is also half empty.
Life is full of Disney style delights, hellish horrors and the mundane in the middle. Neither cancel each other out, but each contribute to the whole picture.
The heavenly and the hellish will always be present in our personal and collective lives. The more we address what we need to, leave what we can’t control or change and seek to still see all that is Disneyesque, the more these systems of ours will settle.