For the love of God, don't live a cynical life.

There are many ills in our country and our world. These are valid and must be faced if we want the world to be a better place for ourselves and those who come after us, but sometimes these are mulled over to an unhealthy degree. Espeically by my generation and those that come after mine. We are often so bogged down by:

Sea levels rising. Carcinogens in everything you eat and drink. Endless amounts of student debt. Spending the rest of your life working at a job that you tolerate and that you accumulated said student debt to be qualified for. Corrupt politicians who will never leave office. Corrupt corporations that pay to keep these corrupt politicians in their pockets. Schooling that taught you how to take a test but not how to pay your taxes or how to have a happy marriage. Mental illness plaguing everyone, probably even yourself now that you think about it. Suicide rates higher than ever. School shootings one after another, yet no further gun regulations are passed. Watching footage of immigrant children dying in camps along the border. 

That we don't know where to go from here.

And cynicism is usually where we end up.

My generations and those after me seem to associate joy with a lack of intelligence. To not be cynical is to not see the world for what it truly is. The world is shit and your life is a dumpster fire. You better see it this way or else you are an ignorant fool.

But aren't it ignorant and foolish to be spending your short little life sulking about terrible things instead of truly living it? It is one thing to be deeply affected by the suffering of others and your own, it is another to let this be all that you feel. Even worse if you don't do something productive with those feelings, because then you are knowingly permitting all that you despise about the world to continue  

We cannot solve all the world's ills, but each life can put in its share in adding goodness to this world and stomping out the bad. It is easier to live a cynical life in the face of all these ills than to face them and decide to live joyfully anyway. To be joyful is not to ignore the sorrowful and the horrific, but to know that there is a life beyond the pain that is worth living. Feel that pain and do something about it. Enjoy the things in life that bring you happiness. You can do all these in your short little life. And I am not about to waste my time.

Inspired by Slide 78 of 100 Days of Summer Writing 2019