Cultivating Optimism

Dear friends,<br><br>In a crazy world, I want to start by telling you some facts and vibes and leave you with a fresh perspective:<br><br>#1. Life **IS** improving. Life expectancy is up 40 years. Infant mortality is down 80%. Violent crime is down 75%. Global poverty is down 90%. Cancer deaths are down 45%. Alzheimer's deaths are down 68% in less than 5 years. And on and on.<br><br>#2. We are safer. You were **50x** more likely to die in a car crash than in a terror attack.<br><br>#3. We are kinder. Modern history has shown a gradual decrease in violent crime, racism, sexism, and other forms of discrimination.<br><br>#4. Science wins. You have doubled your life expectancy in the last 100 years. Modern medicine has saved millions of lives. It was only 8 years between the ability to map human DNA and the first vaccine made with its help.<br><br>#5. The world is getting more peaceful. We saw a 75% decline in battle deaths since the 1950s.<br><br>#6. We’re getting more intelligent. The Flynn Effect proves that IQ scores are consistently increasing, every generation getting smarter than the last.<br><br>Yes, there are also major challenges and issues in this world that need our attention and time. But if we constantly look at the world through negative glasses, we won't see the progress we make. And we won't be inspired to contribute to the next steps.<br><br>As Kabbalah explains, we can control our vibes and intentions. We can choose to dwell on the positive or on the negative. But we are also in control of our inner world. We have the power to shift from despair to hope, from depression to joy. We can either spend our lives angered by events, or seeing the ongoing creation of life, the beauty, and the wonders of the human spirit.<br><br>Let's live with hope. Let's see the miracles around us. Let's see God's loving hands shaping history. Let's see the tremendous growth of society and the individual. Let's see the infinite potential hidden inside each one of us. And let's be inspired by it all.<br><br>A peaceful Shabbat to every beautiful soul, <br>Michael