Image: SpaceX
A question has been bothering me since a Colorado high school student asked me last year: Why don’t the news media report more good news?
Part of the answer lies in the nature of the business: “If it bleeds, it leads,” goes the rationale. Often the tragedies get more ink and air time than do the triumphs.
Part of the problem is that readers often fail to demand good news and don’t recognize it when it comes. This is to some extent because schools and political activists relentlessly spew all sorts of nonsense, which takes its toll. For instance, many students suffer through years of environmentalist propaganda saddling them with guilt for the “crime” of enjoying the advances of energy-driven science, technology, and industry. Likewise, leftists condemn productive achievement as immoral and “socially unjust”—particularly if it launches a person into the dreaded “one percent” or earns a company “market concentration” deemed “excessive” by bureaucrats.
But the fact remains that if we open our eyes we can see good news all around us. And relishing that news can lift our spirits and provide emotional fuel for pursuing our own goals.
Consider just a few recent items of great news.
● The Tek Robotic Mobilization Device, intended to replace the wheel chair, offers those with paralyzed legs remarkable mobility, including the ability move to a standing position.
● Although Samuel Glazer, one of the creators of the “Mr. Coffee” drip coffeemaker, died recently, the good news is that he lived a long and productive life, and he helped revolutionize an industry that we now all usually take for granted. Imagine a day without the benefits of drip coffee!
● MetCel is developing lighter, more-protective body armor to help protect U.S. soldiers. The new armor may be worn underneath heavier armor to help absorb the impact of bullets and prevent life-threatening trauma.
● Ashton Kutcher is headed for space on Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo. Yes, an entertainer, who in previous ages would be lucky to afford a meal, now can afford to travel into space, something no king of old could have dreamed possible.
● SpaceX plans to launch a capsule to the International Space Station next month, a first for a private company. CEO Elon Musk says the company is working toward the day when it can “offer a round trip to Mars that the average person could afford.”
● The YouTube Space Lab brought bright students from across the globe to the United States to celebrate the adventure of space exploration and discuss their science projects. One of the students said she enjoyed “getting to meet everybody else from around the world, all coming together in the pursuit of science.” Some questionable politics aside, this is a very inspiring story.
Yes, there is plenty of bad news about which to be concerned. And, when appropriate, we should work to fix the underlying problems. But we shouldn’t let the bad news overwhelm us, for it is an amazing time to be alive, and good news is all around.
Related:
- Herman Boerhaave: The Nearly Forgotten Father of Modern Medicine
- Happy Birthday, Steve Jobs—and Thank You
Image: Wikimedia Commons
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