We all know we’re inundated with stories of violence, hatred and revenge in the news and on TV.
The news doesn’t adequately cover what is really going on. I was fortunate to experience firsthand the goodness in people, and stories that never make it into popular media, at a young age backpacking around the world.
I’m interested in pictures and stories of transformation and it’s nice to know I’m not alone. In prior blogs I talked about the Forgiveness Project and Life After Hate.
And there’s DailyGood offering positive and uplifting news from around the world. Positive TV was created to report on what’s breaking through rather than what’s breaking down. YES! Magazine reframes problems into solutions, provides resources and shares stories of people working for a better world.
There is so much happening in the world to inspire us!
As an amateur photographer, I was thrilled to also discover the International Guild of Visual Peacemakers. It was created to build bridges of peace across ethnic, cultural and religious lines through visual communication. They strive to break down stereotypes by displaying the humanity, beauty and dignity of people and cultures around the world.
Photography can be a powerful invitation to our shared humanity. For example, Theo Chalmers created a thought-provoking collection for Paul’s Place, a charity in the UK for physically and cognitively impaired adults. They expressed gratitude for “the opportunity to show the world just how beautiful we are.”
We really are beautiful, in all our incredibly diverse sizes, shapes, colours, and preferences. What would it take to celebrate our diversity and learn to get along with one another?
What if we chose to Say Something Nice?
What transformation would occur if we became inundated with images and stories of positive social change, beauty and joy?
We are capable of so much, yet we only tap into such a small percentage of ourselves. It’s time to step up and create a different reality with more consciousness.
What story do you choose to share?