It has happened again. There has been a tragedy brought about by a number of issues in today’s society. While the full picture is still unfolding, the statements made by Elliot Rodger, “…I am in truth the superior one. The true Alpha Male,” have underlying roots that go back millennia. The concept that anyone is superior to anyone else because of their birth, genetics, or upbringing is false.

It is enough to drive you mad, which is a problem.

People are focusing on the negatives of our society and becoming angry. It is easy to see all the bad things and how the pervade society and think, What kind of a world is this to raise kids, much less live?

We need to take a step back for a moment.

It Has Been Worse

I recently watched Birth of a Nation. It is a film by D.W. Griffith about the Civil War and Reconstruction. It was released in 1915 with a disclaimer about the actions of that time period does not reflect on the people of today.

It is a racist film even by 1915 standards.

It also has a healthy dose of sexism, both women as helpless and men’s “right” to women. In its defense, only the bad guys felt they had a right to women. Of course, they were former slaves. As I said, racist.

When you compare that film with those of today, you see a huge difference. Birth of a Nation could never be released in today’s society.  Sure, many films don’t portray woman as they should and there are negative stereotypes in movies, but there positive examples out there as well.

But there is a good lesson in the movie. For all the bad things that happened, the characters still had family. They still fell in love. There was hope for a better future, together.

Not All Evil

I had the privilege of watching my daughter perform in her preschool musical last week. It was cute and adorable. The kids were very entertaining. They laughed, ran, and hugged everyone from teachers to parents to each other.

It is the kind of event that not only gives you hope, but reminds you that there are good things in the world.

While we can’t just bury our heads in the sand and just enjoy the good things around us; we do have to take time to appreciate and enjoy the good things. We have to acknowledge the existence of good and revel in it.

Events like the shooting in LA makes this even more important. It is too easy to get angry and sink down into a dark hole. Ask yourself this though, how many weddings have happened since the shooting? How many births? Birthdays?

Still Have to Act

Society has come a long way in a century and it has further to go. It is going to take generations before the negative forces in our society are a thing of the past. We have to work at it every day or it will never happen.

Anger is okay, but we cannot let it detract from all that is good in life. Use your anger to drive action. Just remember to leave it behind when it is time to live your life and enjoy the good that has been placed in it.

For there is good all around you and like those preschoolers, you need to remember to embrace it.