I have definitely struggled against pessimism over the past few years. The pandemic and politics has made it difficult to feel good about our system, our society, our species. But I realized that line of thinking only follows one portion of possible perspective. It centers around the collective human condition, which is natural.

But we can always expand our awareness to outside ourselves, to the planet, to the universe at large. We have always transcended our current circumstances through such thinking. It’s how Da Vinci came up with his flying contraption: by admiring the majesty of the birds up in the sky. It’s how Isaac Newton “discovered” gravity: by considering why an apple fell from the tree (or so the saying goes). It’s a hallmark of our kind: we draw inspiration from the magic of reality surrounding us. We can think beyond the (however unsatisfying) status quo by appreciating the beauty of the Earth and the ethereal nature of the universe.

It’s an eternal source of positivity. We exist. We’re alive, in this crazy configuration of atoms and cells, elements and stars. What a miracle to be apart of. It can’t be all that bad. And if we allow ourselves to wonder, we’ll figure out a way to make it even better. We always have, and we always will. We can change the world.