Aftermath.

A confession: I used to think that positive, cheery people were just foolhardy and ridiculous, unwilling to accept the tumult of the world around them, that they were deluding themselves in some way to what is clearly a bad world. But I was wrong, and my meanness toward those people didn't help them at all and didn't help me in particular. And I think I have changed. I hope I have changed. Because walking through a world like this and holding on to a shred of hope or positivity is an act of bravery and courage. It takes commitment and faith - not necessarily in God, mind you - but faith that there's more to life and the world and all of us than just hurt and pain. We are not here to suffer. We are not here merely to survive. We're supposed to take our lives, take our talents, take our cheer, our good deeds, our well-wishes and do as much good as possible with them. We're only here for a nanosecond of time, but we are here. And it does mean something. So be brave, walk outside. Be brave and smile. Be brave and help somebody. Be brave and spread hope. Someday, a person will give you hope. Other days, you can give hope to others. Do as much as you can with what you have to do some good.