(My A to Z Blog Challenge theme this year is Bittersweetness & Light, my new collection of hope-filled, joy-inducing fantasy and sci fi short stories, poems, and art. I’ll be sharing lots of fun excerpts, and I’ll also be sharing some of the background on why we urgently need joyful stories. (You can find out all about the April A to Z Blog Challenge here. I’ve got a head start, but I’ll end up at the finish line with everyone else, I promise. In the meantime, you can see the themes other bloggers will be writing about here.))
Another C word I could write about is Cynicism, which is another epidemic that’s keeping us locked down. Cynics don’t think other people can be trusted, and thus lose out on all the benefits of cooperation. The more dire things seem, the more important it is to be consciously skeptical of your cynicism, which actually isn’t as smart or as worldly-wise as you think it is. It actually isn’t keeping you safe or getting you ahead. (Interested in the science that proves this? Check out Hope for Cynics by Jamil Zaki, 2024.) The narrative of catastrophe is not the whole story. Goodness really is out there all around, so get out and find it — and every time you find some, be sure to share it. After all, we’re all in this together.
Marketing Moral: Recommend my book to everyone you know who might like it. Whenever you find any story, or poem, or art that brings you joy, spread the word! Tell all your friends. In fact, tell all your enemies, too, since they probably need a message of joy and love at least as much as you do. (And nothing helps small-time/indie authors and artists more than word of mouth.)
Proper Moral: Many hands make light work. Cooperation is actually a basic human need, essential for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Now more than ever we need to make sure we look out for one another - and not just our closest buddies, either. Plus, a rising tide raises all ships.
[Picture: All in This Together, rubber block print by AEGNydam, 2020 (Image from Bittersweetness & Light, but originals are still available at NydamPrints.com).]
10 comments:
It is my belief that goodness does exist that keeps me from going completely off the rails in our current political/social situation of chaos and meanness. After all, I've seen goodness in action often enough to at least keep cynicism in check. It is the knowledge of goodness that permits us to be offended by evil.
Karen speaks my mind. Thanks, Karen! When I see a gratuitous goodness in action I try to tell someone else about it. We can personally be bearers of good news instead of complaining about all the bad news that is so painful obvious.
We need it, you're right. Your messages of hope and encouragement are appreciated, Anne.
Good to have someone like you to help us cope! I read a book called Humankind, a year or so ago. It basically worked through the evidence that ‘shows’ we are unco-operative beasts, and demonstrated that the myth was fuelled by, and perpetuated, by the need for ‘headline news’.
Enjoy your A2Z!
A poet friend of mine from the dVerse Poets Pub, has started an online magazine for collaborative work https://collaborature.blogspot.com/ it might interest you...
Good point, Karen. If we love and cooperation weren't deep in our being, we wouldn't consider cruelty to be bad.
Yeah, it's certainly a fact that people sometimes do bad things, but there's also all kinds of science proving that kindness and connection are far more beneficial - and far more basic and common - than we often give them credit for.
Thanks for the link, Frewin. I'll check it out.
Cooperation is such a great word. As a woman who was raised within the larger Collectivist culture of Northern New Mexico (USA), I believe deeply in the idea that we all do better when we all do better. Everyone and everything is connected, whether we want to believe it or not ;-)
I also love cooperation as a theme. Appreciate the lean to the positive. It's hard to hold onto right now. @samanthabwriter from
Balancing Act
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