David Boyd is sick of hearing doom and gloom when we talk about the climate and the environment. Sure, we’ve basically ruined this planet but there’s still good news out there and we can talk about the solutions. Indeed, we have the knowledge to save the planet and all we
Continue readingTag: Optimism
Things Are Good: Read This Book: The Optimistic Environmentalist
The Optimistic Environmentalist is a new book by environmental lawyer Dr. David R. Boyd. Much like this website, the book is also about taking a positive look on the otherwise endless onslaught of bad news we get in the mainstream media. David has worked in environmental law for many years,
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: They’ll Nip This in the Bud
It’s enough to give an oligarch chest pain. Barely a month in power, popular support for the left-wing, anti-austerity government in Greece is soaring. Syrzia won the January polls with 36% of the votes. A few weeks later and there’s no sign of buyers’ remorse. Instead the party’s support has
Continue readingLeDaro: Rep. John Lewis’s dance
Clapping and swinging his hips, civil rights legend Rep. John Lewis danced to Pharrell Williams’ hit song “Happy” in a recent YouTube post.“This is my song!” the 74-year-old Georgia Democrat exclaimed… Mr. Lewis hopes that good days are ahead as the civil rights movement has made a lot of progress
Continue readingThings Are Good: Be Optimistic by Learning About It
The book Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life by Dr. Martin Seligman is not new, but it is to me. For others who have not heard about it before, it looks like an uplifting read. The central thesis of the book is to essentially learn what
Continue reading350 or bust: Take Time To Renew Your Spirit
The kind of hope I often think about …is, I believe, a state of mind, not a state of the world. Either we have hope within us or we don’t. Hope is not a prognostication — it’s an orientation of the spirit. Each of us must find real, fundamental hope
Continue reading350 or bust: Take Time To Renew Your Spirit
When asked at colleges if I am pessimistic or optimistic about the future, my answer is always the same: If you look at the science that describes what is happening on earth today and aren’t pessimistic, you don’t have the correct data. If you meet the people in this unnamed
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: Liveblog of Jack Layton’s Funeral
It’s been an astonishing week since Jack Layton’s death and not-so-surprising outpouring of public grief and recognition of what he brought to Canadian politics and public service: optimism and integrity, as I see it. What about you? His funeral is set for today at 2pm, Toronto time. Please feel free to participate in our liveblog […]
Continue reading350 or bust: From Passive, Helpless Spectator To Creating Positive Change: “You Can’t Help Being An Optimist”
“You can’t help but be an optimist when you are contributing to positive change. Believe in your own power and then to be bold enough to use it. Together we will create a better world.” Marianne Schnall, writing in today’s Huffi…
Continue readingRight of Center Ice: Liberal Party of Canada: it’s not about him
For all intents and purposes, my Saturday was supposed to be about relaxation. And it started out that way. I went out for breakfast, read the paper, got a haircut, came home around noon only to have it all go to hell. What happened? I logged onto Far and Wide.
Continue readingRegan Wolfrom: Another Stupid Optimist
Are you getting sick of people who think that things are getting better all the time? I am, and it’s hard to ignore the biggest positive-thinking idiot I deal with on a daily basis: me. I wasn’t always like this; I used to think the worst of everything. And I still know how to go […]
Continue readingreflections and projections
And ye, who have met with Adversity’s blast, And been bow’d to the earth by its fury; To whom the Twelve Months, that have recently pass’d Were as harsh as a prejudiced jury – Still, fill to the Future! and join in our chime, The regrets of remembrance…
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