A rather long soliloquy by your fellow Snowflake

 PD and larrymotuz have suggested I post a positive OP, or an optimistic one, compared to a gloom and doom one.

In contemplating how to word it, I found the task more challenging than I thought, because let's face it, we have:

Political division, Trumpism, Covid, increasing climate disasters, and disinformation tearing us all apart.

I did, in a comment on a previous thread, also point out, that despite the gloom and doom that we are all focused on, good things are happening:

An almost all white jury found the McMichaels guilty, in Georgia no less. When did that ever happen before? Even Kim Potter was found guilty of manslaughter, a verdict I didn't expect.

While we as a species are moving at a snail's pace addressing climate, individual cities and states have taken climate action. Now some countries are taking action, such as proposed bans on plastics.

The biggest fear here in the U.S. surrounds the advancement of Fascism. I can't play along with that. My parents lived under Fascism (Nazi Germany), so until I see Jews wearing stars, people being ripped out of their homes, or brownshirts on the streets, I will refrain from using that word.

HOWEVER, there is no doubt that one faction of the U.S. wants to move towards minority or even one party rule. Rightwing Extremism? Totalitarianism? Call it what you will, but the move to suppress the vote, to roll back progress on women's rights, are real.

So how do I put lipstick on a this pig? How do I post an OP with a positive outlook? How do I word it? Without seeming to be a liberal hippie Snowflake wearing rose-colored glasses?

The only way I can think of, is observation. Personal observation. Maybe if I lived in Texas or Mississippi, my personal observations would be different. But I grew up and currently live in Minnesota and spent 30 years of my life in that socialist paradise north of the border, Canada.

I also, not by design, it just happened, surrounded myself with positive people, open-minded people, progressive thinking people, AND this time, with design, kept my distance from bigots and haters. 

I also, for the most part, have avoided CNN and FOX, avoided WAPO and NYPost, and tend to gravitate towards NPR, PBS, BBC, Reuters, and other media outlets that are less hyperbolic and more analytical.

I also observe. I have posted the following so many times, I fear becoming redundant. BUT because DP and larrymotuz asked me to go ahead and post a positive OP, here is what I have observed:

Black and white kids walking to school together. I work part-time as a school crossing guard, and notice boys with effeminate features walking side by side with the jocks. I see opening gay couples walking hand in hand in my home town. 

On a larger scale, when a disaster occurs, I see videos and news clips of white men in motor boats rescuing black people from their roofs. I see white youth marching with BLM protestors. I have read stories of a white community helping their Muslim neighbors rebuilt their mosques after they were burned down. THESE STORIES SELDOM MAKE THE HEADLINES. Why is that?

The storming of the Capitol was something I never expected to see, but I also NEVER expected to see a black President. Nor do I expect to ever see a gay President, but with the rise in popularity of Pete Buttigieg, could it happen? I never expected to see homeowners putting up solar panels. The list goes on.

The old adage of a person sees what they want to see might apply here. I don't mean that in a disparaging way. Maybe I am at fault here for NOT seeing the worst in our fellow man, not worrying enough about the "fall of democracy", of being TOO positive, so I will conclude this long soliloquy by stating the following:

At the end of the day, regardless of what surrounds you, how do YOU want to live your life? I prefer to live it in the service of my fellow man, in promoting positivity, of living a contented and happy life.

I guess that makes me a SNOWFLAKE.