A few positives in a sea of negativity

*First appeared in the Laurel Chronicle newspaper on September 3, 2014

It’s hard to watch the news without observing a local tragedy, an international crisis or, as of late, both. The constant barrage of negativity does a number to my psyche and, I imagine, yours. The world’s on fire, they say, and we’re starting to believe them.

More often than not, the steady stream of bad news is a byproduct of the phenomenon of 24-hours news coverage. Frantic car chase in a city 500 miles from you? Stay tuned; we have details on the suspect’s sweater vest. Infectious virus located on an isolated island? Stay tuned; we’ll give you thirteen ways your neighbor may be infected.

I don’t often watch the talking heads, but only because I doubt I’ll hear news that isn’t designed to push a certain agenda. (If left unchecked, my cynicism gets the best of me.)

But cynics aren’t part of the solution to any problems. The endless news cycles may drown us in information, but at least we’re (probably) more informed at the end of the reports. An informed citizenry is a powerful one, so in some ways keeping up with the goings-on of local, national, and international events is a civic responsibility.

That being said, today I have no desire to impart with you any snotty political jokes, no tales of tragedy, no problem to analyze. I’ll simply remind you about a few positive things happening in the Magnolia State. This is what you might call a classic “feel good” piece.

Last week, it was reported that Mississippi women fared pretty doggone well in a new study on women’s equality. WalletHub found that 25 percent more women hold a bachelor’s degree, making us the state with the highest education gap tilted toward women. In our state, women tend to live, on average, about 20 percent longer than men, which is another piece of good news (for half of us, anyway).

Mississippi’s ranking on the “education and health” component was top of the nation. That’s great news, ladies.

A Gallup poll measuring well-being recently found that Mississippi was among the top eleven states that had made the steadiest improvement in this area since 2010, when the recession officially ended. Gallup measured things like emotional health, work environment, and life evaluation. In other words, we’re happier.

The Tax Foundation observed in a recent study that the real value of $100 in Mississippi, where we enjoy lower cost-of-living than elsewhere, is about $115. This means we can buy more stuff with a Benjamin than those unfortunate dwellers of other states. Wonder if those Labor Day sales are still ongoing?

Good news isn’t just at the statewide level; in fact, Jones County had its own flavor of a positive (and historic) event last week. The South Jones Braves football team saw its female field goal kicker, Mary Kate Smith, perform flawlessly in her first game with the team. Even this former Northeast Jones Tiger thinks that’s pretty cool.

Speaking of tigers, I’m reminded of the baby boom going on at the Jackson Zoo. In 2014 alone, the zoo has welcomed a new Sumatran tiger cub, a baby springbok (similar to a gazelle); a beaver kit; red wolf cubs; red river hog piglets; and even a baby orangutan.

There’s nothing more feel good than the birth of baby animals, so I had to throw that in there, guys. Come on. No laughing.

Is this column a bit silly? For sure. But perhaps it will give you something positive to think on next time you watch a missile soar across the cable television.