The World can be a Scary Place, and there is Darkness that exists.
I have been thinking about this a lot today.
I received an email from an organization that I donate to, Save the Children.
"I dream that war will end and peace will be..."
A young girl, 8 years old, in East Ukraine.
The War she lives in is not the only war going on today.
Right now, there are 6 Major Wars that are ongoing.
To Qualify as a "Major" War, it must have 10,000 Deaths this year or the previous year.
The Russo-Ukranian War.
The Arab-Israeli Conflict.
The Myanmar Conflict.
The Insurgency in the Maghreb.
The Mexican Drug War.
The Sudanese Civil War.
This is not a list of all current wars, just those that hit a high enough death count.
I also received another email from someone whose work I deeply respect.
He lives in California, "America's Most Populous State".
He discussed how the average killer is only behind bars for 15 years.
Many are released in significantly less time, sometimes less than 2 years.
A Police Chief from California says that gangs purposefully use child-trafficked kids between the ages of 8 and 10 to commit their most evil crimes.
Why?
The gangs know the Children will get away with it due to the Laws.
According to the statistics, 60% of violent offenders in the US will do it again, and in California, almost all of them are released.
It reminded me of another piece this individual wrote a few months ago about California's Homeless Industrial Complex.
$24 Billion put into "Homelessness" over 5 years.
The Results?
An Increase in Homelessness by 40%.
In an audit, the state of California admitted it had no idea what resulted from the $24 Billion that was supposed to be used to help these individuals.
This is all only in one State, and doesn't cover all of crimes and problems that occur.
All in "The Home of the Free".
Truly, Darkness exists all around us.
If we Choose to Do Nothing, that Darkness Spreads.
If we Allow it, this Darkness will Consume Us.
There is something else to keep in mind though.
What we Focus On, we will Find More Of.
Yes, there "Is" Darkness, but there is also "More" that Exists than Just the Darkness.
If our Focus Remains on the Darkness, we will Find More and More Darkness, which is "How" it begins to Consume Us.
But we can Change our Focus.
Yes, we must "Face" the Darkness, and Understand How it Works.
Yet it Does Not Mean we must Wallow in the Darkness.
Rather, we must Look toward what Is Good in the World to Overcome that which is Dark.
The Child who lives among War is a Horrifying Thing.
Yet, We Can Provide for that Child.
We can give them Hope.
We can Create a Path for their Dreams of Peace to be Realized.
We can Work to Design a Brighter Future for that Child, and Every Other Child.
It is True that there is Darkness in the World.
It is Not Hard to Find.
Yet, Ironically, there is Significantly More Good that Exists in the World.
Sometimes it Feels Small, this is True.
However, Great Things "Always" Begin Small.
If we look at the Grand Scheme of History, we are actually Living in the Safest and Most Peaceful of All Times.
Is it Perfect?
No.
But how have we Progressed to "This" Point?
One Small Effort After Another.
Adding More and More Focus to Solutions to Problems.
Adding More and More Focus to Peace.
Adding More and More Focus to Good.
There is still much Darkness, but there is Far More Light.
It may Feel Slow, and our Steps May Falter, and it is Not Easy or Simple, but We "Are" Overcoming the Darkness.
We can Continue to Do so, by becoming Better Ourselves, by Improving what we are Able, and by continuing to Focus on the Good.