When I thought about it, I realized that it's true: no matter how bleak things may seem, somebody somewhere is reaping a benefit. To give an extreme example, consider the fact that even the great Black Plague brought an economic boon to the undertaking industry.
Social mores often discourage us from acknowledging this phenomenon since being happy when other people are suffering is not acceptable in our culture.
But let's face it. With only about six degrees of separation from every other person on earth, there are a lot of people relatively close to you who are suffering, and some of them mightily.
Add to this the fact that our news media is pretty much a vehicle for bringing a steady diet of despair right into our homes and automobiles, and it's possible to go around with a general feeling of doom just about all the time.
If you're feeling overwhelmed by all that's wrong in the world, spend some time looking at things from a different angle. Think about how much better we have things than past generations. (Do you really need an example? Start with things like indoor plumbing and work from there!) Think about what benefit can be derived from current trials. (Scarce and expensive gasoline leads to cleaner air, for example.) You might even think about how you, personally, could buck the trend and gain from the way things have changed. (Maybe you'll open a bicycle shop to capitalize on the fact that people are looking for gasoline-free commute alternatives.)
Just remember, for every graph that shows things slowly slipping away into oblivion, there's another with the line climbing for the stars.
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