Ignorance is bliss. Dumb people aren’t worried about the famine in Africa or the destruction of the rainforest, they are reading gossip mags and thinking about shopping. And yet, they are happy.

But look at you, ranting about Fox News and trying to find out what the heck “hydrogenated” means- you’re furious. And the fact that everyone else isn’t makes it worse. How can they not care!? So what if some sports team is losing! Thousands of animals die needlessly every day while antibiotics are creating superbugs in factory farms AND the polar caps are melting!!

Breathe.

You have to find a way to deal with all the unpleasant information. How do we learn about the harsh reality of life without becoming jaded, exasperated and furious? It would be so much easier to just not know, to somehow unlearn it. However, by knowing more we can hopefully make change in the world by taking action.

Here are two things you can do so your head doesn’t explode.

1) Focus on right here, right now. What can you do this minute? Make your days up of little things and don’t just freak out about the things that seem unattainable. You have to realize that all the little things you are doing are adding up to something big.

2) Assume most people are good. People don’t want to destroy the world; they just don’t know how to save it so they ignore things that make them uncomfortable. If you don’t attack people they won’t close up so quickly and may come out to look around. In the same way that anger ripples out from us (ie someone cuts you off in traffic so you do the same to someone else etc) so do actions of kindness. So be nice and assume the best of people because they usually match your expectations.

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