I have Bad News and I have Good News

Are you an optimist or a pessimist?

I know that depending on the day and what kind of mood you're in that your answer might change.

But, if I asked you this question every day for a year would your attitude sway more toward having a positive or a negative outlook?

Recent events have challenged my view of the world.

At an event for young professionals, I overhead a group talking about how HIV and AIDS is increasing at an alarming rate in the African-American community, especially among women.

Four other people discussed how we knew about global warming for over 50 years and did almost nothing about it, and yet another group focused on the plight of public school education and how institutions throughout the country are worsening.

Later that week at a conference, a panel of experts gave further evidence of how turbulent times are. 1 billion people in the world live on less than $1 a day; entertaiment and technology entities such as the music business and MySpace are spreading materialism, apathy, and nihilism; and young men in inner cities are worse off now than ever before because of the declining number of fathers and a lack of guidance and mentoring.

These meetings took their toll on me. I left the functions feeling both more informed and more pessimistic about the world. I questioned if we (the world) are really spinning out of control towards an imminent destruction.

Events like the ones I attended aren't isolated. We have these conversations all the time at work, in the barbershop, on the train, and elsewhere.

Yes, we have issues. But, there had to be someone somewhere tackling the problems we hear about all the time.

I was determined to uncover some good news. For my own sanity I needed to make a case for OPTIMISM.


Here's a short list of social entrepreneurs and activists I discovered who are causing systemic change across critical issue areas, including the environment, institutional responsibility, health, peace, social and economic equity, and human rights.
Kiva - A site for international micro investing. See in some parts of this world the dollar is still worth alot and a small amount can go quite a long way to change a persons life. On the site you will see folks from all over the globe looking for small bits of help to finance a new washing machine or cart or seeds for crops. Loans can be made for as little as $25. Visit them at www.kiva.org.

WITNESS - A Web site where individuals can upload videos that expose human- rights violations. Footage can be uploaded from cell phones and other mobile devices, allowing immediate posting of user-generated content. Visit them at www.witness.org.

Majora Carter - Founder of Sustainable South Bronx, a health and environmental agency dedicated to addressing land-use, energy, transportation, water and waste policy, and education in order to advance the environmental and economic rebirth of the New York borough. Find out more at www.ssbx.org.

Mimi Silbert - Founder of The Delancey Street Foundation, a residential education center where drug addicts, criminals and the homeless learn to lead productive, crime-free lives. It has been called the most successful rehabilitation project in the United States. Find out more about her at www.delanceystreetfoundation.org.

I could give you tons of other examples, but you get the point. There are people all over the world doing the work to make the world safer, cleaner, and healthier.

Instead of being paralyzed by the big picture they measure success one project at a time.

They are optimists who believe in the power of the human spirit to overcome obstacles.

What do you believe in?

Derek