It’s been a rough week in the news, to wildly understate the issue.  It was the kind of week that, unless you are made of sterner stuff than I am, can leave you questioning whether all your ideas about goodness in the world are as valid as you have always maintained.

Here’s a suggestion, if you feel the same.   First, turn off the news and change your online homepage to something fun like Goodreads or maybe National Geographic Photography.    Then, spend some time reading about  and looking at the work of people like  Jenny Buccos (who I met last weekend at Student Voice Live) or Andrew Jenks (who was the keynote speaker at that same event).     Maybe check out this video from Melissa Rowley about 15 year old Jack Andraka:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYgwjeNDsXo

And then there is this, also from Andrew Jenks with his friend Chad, who has autism and who is one of the most endearing people you will ever ‘meet’.  I encourage everyone to watch any and all of the World of Jenks (iTunes, Amazon, mTV) episodes, but especially those with Chad…

Remember, scary things happen in the world, but overall the world is not a scary place.  The best thing we can do for ourselves and our children is to avoid living lives driven by fear (which as we all know is nothing more than False Evidence Appearing Real).

Peace.