I don’t think it’s out of line to say this was an exceptionally rough year. If there wasn’t ONE piece of news you heard in 2016 that made you go “Gee, that’s too bad. :(” then you’re a horrible, heartless person. This year has just been rough. Many good, influential, talented people died, perhaps most of them at unexpectedly early ages. Lots of innocent people who aren’t celebrities died in tragic ways. There’s been so much rioting. And no matter who you voted for, the U.S. election really brought out the worst in a lot of people. I don’t need to go on. You experienced it. You know how fucking ridiculous this year was.
So here’s my point.
2017 probably won’t be any better. Celebrities will still die, innocent people will still die in tragic ways, there’ll still be rioting, and fighting, and people will still be unbelievably and horrendously ugly to each other about politics. I don’t imagine 2017 being better unless Jesus shows up at some point.
But the thing I’m getting at is, why don’t we all remember 2016, and make a real effort to make 2017 better? I’m not saying you have to go out and find a cure for all the cancers next year, or spend all your free time volunteering at homeless shelters. But try to do SOMETHING. Volunteering on a regular basis, volunteering at one-day events. Giving a bit more of your spare change to charities. Donating more food to food shelters.
But not just that stuff. Stuff like making the effort to pick up trash off the sidewalk and put it in a garbage can. Being more friendly with your grocery store cashiers - not in a creepy, overly friendly way, just if you normally don’t say much, say SOMETHING. Give random compliments to people. You know, not creepy ones, but stuff like “Hey I really like your shoes” or “That shade of blue looks really good on you.” People like getting compliments! Some especially like getting them from people they don’t know, it seems more genuine that way. Again, don’t be creepy about it, though.
Instead of angrily replying to stupid people on the Internet, don’t. Or at least make an effort to respond in a more positive way - “I disagree, and here’s why” rather than “YOU STUPID CUNTFACE”.
Do whatever you’re comfortable with, I’m just saying, things don’t get better if everyone sits around angrily replying to things on the internet before going out to glare at everyone around them and then hoard their expired green beans. The idea here is to make the world a slightly brighter place. It’s already a giant shithole, but it’ll be a little better if we all make an effort to be just a little bit nicer or more useful. And yeah it’s technically selfish if you’re doing nice things to make yourself feel better about yourself, but who cares? You’re still also making other people feel better, or making things easier for other people.
So, that’s it. As 2017 inevitably continues 2016′s unpleasantness, all I’m saying is, I encourage everyone to try to do something, even if it’s as small as smiling at strangers or doing the dishes when it’s not your turn once in a while, or as big as donating all your Christmas shopping money to your local women’s shelter or volunteering to read to orphans who are blind due to their eye cancer. Just try to go an extra inch or an extra mile and do something nice next year, beyond whatever you normally do. It won’t change the world, but a few people will be a little happier for some period of time.
dialogue from the falls → don’t you know what it’s like to fall for someone? even though you know in your heart that it’ll probably never work out, but you’d do anything for that person? from the deep end (s1e15)
