When asked if I am an optimist or a pessimist, I would probably say that I try lean more toward optimism however I have pessimistic moments, as I think most anyone does. There are times when I automatically assume the worse. My mind wanders over to the dark side of “what if” and then anxiety takes hold. I must redirect myself to think of something more positive. Focus on the good that is happening.
However, when it comes to the philosophy of it all. I absolutely am an optimist. I know there is a lot of bad going on this world however I believe that good will win over evil. How can evil win in the end when there are still good people in this world? Good people will not stand idly by and allow such evil to happen without standing up and doing what they can to put a stop to it.
There will always be people like Maximillian Kolbe, a Catholic priest who saved more than 2,000 Jewish people during the Holocaust. When the Nazi’s discovered that Kolbe had been harboring 2,000 refuges in his monastery, they sent him to Auschwitz. He didn’t let that stop him though. He ended up sacrificing himself to save another. Ten prisoners were to be selected to be tortured as punishment because someone had escaped. When the Nazis went to select the men to be sent to Block 13 Father Kolbe heard one man begging for his life and Father Kolbe offered himself up in the man’s place. At the end of three weeks of torture Kolbe was the only one of those ten men left alive, so an executioner injected him with carbolic acid, killing him. Francis Gajowniczek is the man whom Father Kolbe saved by volunteering to go to Block 13. Francis survived Auschwitz and lived until 1995.
Pastor Lee Jong-rak has saved over 600 unwanted or mentally handicapped babies in South Korea. He created a baby box; a heated and padded box and built it into the side of his house. Parents who can’t or won’t care for their babies can drop them off in this box, when they do there is a sensor that lets him know there is a baby inside. Now unwanted babies are ending up on his doorstep instead of being abandoned on the side of the road.
How about the person who paid for a stranger’s lunch? Or the people who volunteer to help at the homeless shelter. The family that purchases extra gifts at Christmas to help give a better Christmas to a family in need. The teenager who holds the door open for you at the store. What about the teacher who gives up their time to help a struggling student? The people who volunteer their time to teach kids at groups like Awanas. The crossing guard at the school who stands outside in the rain, wind, freezing temperatures, and snow in order to ensure kids can safely cross the street. There are so many ordinary people in this world who brighten the darkness of this world. These people are simply going about their lives, they probably don’t even realize that they’re making such a significant difference in the lives of others. It is because of people like this that I am an optimist, I believe that good will win. How about you?
Angela Schroeder
Patricia Kiyono
Elaine Cantrell
Jeff Salter
Joselyn
Tonette Joyce
Four Foxes, One Hound 
Yes! As long as there are good people, there is hope. Like you, I choose to look for good.
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Anyone who has read the Bible knows that good overcomes evil in the end. It’s the time before the end that we have to live through, but being a pessimist never helps anyone. I’m with you, Angela. There are so many good people out there in all walks of life willing to do the right thing, go beyond what’s expected of them, and lend a hand where it’s needed. That’s what we all should do. Being positive each day instead of focusing on the negative will give your spirit a lift, not drag you down. Being around positive people will brighten your day, no matter what’s going on around you. There are times to mourn, as the Bible teaches us, but there are more times to be joyful.
Thanks for your uplifting spirit.
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Wow — I’d never heard the specific story of Maximillian Kolbe, the many lives he saved, or his incredible courage and sacrifice. Wow. It staggers me to imagine a mortal having that kind of strength and resolve.
But I have heard of similar, smaller acts of heroism and sacrifice and it stirs my soul.
As for your initial paragraph — I often have similar reactions… when first hit with bad news. It’s easy for me to slip down that slope of fretting about the worst case scenario.
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Maximilian Kolbe was already on the Nazi’s radar for his refusal to support the Nazis and to criticize the government in his publications. He died a long and painful death because of it; he was given injections of carbolic acid, and not shot like most of the others.
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amazing how brutal and inhumane people can be
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Yes, I have been very concerned for the fate of humanity and also very much for the Catholic Church.I htink it will get far worse before it gets better, but I have seen spaks of light, hear truly decent clergy speaking out and holding Christian morals and principles, so I have gotten hope that although I believe it may be small and have to rebuild, there still may be a Church once the scoundrels are gone,(there are far too many).
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Yes, the good will ultimately win.
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