Imagine waking up to a day where the news provides nothing but good, positive stories: stories about perseverance, hope, unrelenting efforts to help a community/village, a small percentage of people whose lives have been changed or improved.
Today we hear or read about more negativity than positivity: we read about stories of injustice, extreme violence, famine, debt crisis, and nations in conflict. I always ponder what it would be like to read a paper or online newsfeed that shares good things- positive things taking place despite the crises around us; true stories that will inspire and motivate readers.
We all remember the story of the Pied Piper, a man who lured rats out of a village with his magical pipe. The revolutions early this year are similar in some ways to this legend where thousands followed the daring move of a few and determined the fate of their nations. They made headlines all over the world with their bold acts. Maybe the example is not the best analogy but it shows that a few people can set in motion a chain of actions that impact the whole globe; they can ‘lure’ a whole crowd with their ‘tune’ and initiate a number of acts. News is important: without it we wouldn’t know the events and happenings of the world we live in; but what if we also had news that told a different story- a story overshadowed by the more ‘important’ life or death stories?
You and I can tell a different story each day if we make the effort. I am privileged to be among people, who take the time to publish something good about some circumstance, family or individual, or create awareness about situations we have no knowledge about. A newspaper or online news site dedicated to publishing positive or good news would certainly be rare. Young people are unique in that they have the spirit, courage and resilience to make something happen and cause a whole community to join in their tune.
Canadian Street Artist Kaid Ashton says, “I find that if you tell someone a personal story of poverty, they are much more receptive to it”. Termed a modern day pied piper, he has a passion for travelling to some of the world’s most dangerous slums documenting the people he meets with his camera.
Thereafter, he publishes his work on walls in and around the cities he visits setting his own unique trend of creating awareness. We all have our own way of making something known to the world: maybe we speak out, post a status on facebook, tweet or even drop a quick mail. Whatever method we are good at, why don’t we try setting a trend of publishing positive things about anything that happens around us- an act that touched your heart, a person you helped or who in turn helped you, or many other acts that often go unnoticed. The youth in the revolutions must have certainly had their doubts about their success but it didn’t stop them from trying or accomplishing their goal.
There’s no complex process involved in publishing something good: if you have nothing to share from your own experience, take five minutes of your day to find something good that happened elsewhere in the world. There is always somebody listening to your story or reading your post in the same way you are reading this column.
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