It might seem that every time we check the news or simply go on social media, we keep getting bad news about the world. And that makes us think that at this rate, the world will end very soon.
And since the bad news keeps dominating our feeds, we keep missing out on good news. Probably because good news usually isn't as sensational as news outlets might want it to be. Well, to solve this shortage today, we picked out several good stories that were shared by the r/AskReddit community. After all, sometimes we all need to look at the bright side of things, right?
More info: Reddit
David Attenborough’s still healthyNot significant for any of you, but pretty significant and REALLY good for me:
After telling my family and friends about the abuse I'm experiencing at home, we're secretly making plans to get me the heck out of here! I even have his friends on my side, and he doesn't suspect a thing.I found out my dog doesn't have cancer. I about cried when I got the news.If I'm accepted to law school it will be paid for.
I'm from a very poor background with no professional family members and I may break the chains.Southern Ocean right whales populations are growing at seven percent a year. Bowhead whale populations have tripled and have almost recovered to pre-exploitation levels. Humpback populations in Australia have recovered and are higher than pre-exploitation.
Others, which haven’t recovered like the Atlantic right whale, have stopped their steep decline and hopefully can start the process of population recovery.
Stopping the practice of whaling is…finally…having a positive effect.CRISPR treatment has just been FDA approved to cure sickle cell disease[An Eastern Black Rhino was just born](https://biglife.org/program-updates/big-life-news/not-our-imagination), a complete surprise to the rangers who protect the 1,000 remaining in the wild. They are Critically Endangered, the rarest of the subspecies, and this is a monumental occasion.There's a rather effective Malaria vaccine, that started distribution this year.
That's kind of huge.I was at a diner in a small town in Michigan recently, and there were 2 drag queens eating. No one stared or said anything or looked uncomfortable. Based on everything you see in the news and the fact that I was in a part of Michigan that reliably votes Republican I would've expected a reaction, but everyone was cool with it. Gave me a little hope that maybe people are generally better than we think.My older cat has completely accepted the new kitten I adopted. I’ve become the third wheel at home and I couldn’t be happier about it. Small positive.many endangered animal species are on the rebound now such as the bald eagle, humpback whales and schaus swallowtail butterflies due to increased conservational effortsThey're successfully rewilding beavers in the UK.My local animal shelter has a food bank for owners who can't afford food for their pets. And I'm sure it's not the only shelter that does it.I’m a teacher and my class is super kind and well behaved for the most part. Gives me a little faith in our future.The ozone layer is thickening!Global efforts to reforest areas are making a significant impact.Sodium-ion batteries might start replacing lithium-ion batteries soon which would be much better for the environment and generally cheaper or more convenientResearchers have successfully cured HIV in several non-human primates. We’re closer to a real cure!Locally, certainly in the east midlands, UK, there has been a lot of opportunities take to rewild huge areas of land again. Golf courses, with rolling hills and ponds/ streams are having meadows returned and more trees planted. Farmland that's been mismanaged or untenable and literally being a waste of space is having forest's replanted. I took my 2 year old son to plant some Birch, oak and chestnut trees near to Sherwood forest, along with several thousand others, all done by willing and happy volunteers!
It may not seem much but its becoming much more popular! In the short term we should see Wildflower meadows, birds, bees and woodland animals returning..in the long term, many years after our lifetime there should be huge swathes of cities/ countryside with accessible and diverse woodland and green spaces!There are about 10 to 12,000,000 people in the United States Who Quilt . Most of them belong to Quilt guilds that donate to homeless shelters veteran shelters other types of places where people need blankets. My Quilt Guild donated over 800 this year and we only have 80 people in our guild.There has been a major breakthrough in meaningfully extending the lifespan of people with ALS using [medicines] that are already on the market and FDA-approved. Their effectiveness at treating ALS was discovered as a direct result of research funded by the massive influx of donations from the various "Ice Bucket Challenges" of the early 2000's.The state of Illinois has been working to eliminate food deserts, and prevent the loss of independent grocers in small communities.
One example is in the southernmost town in Illinois, Cairo. They opened a grocery store in June. It's a co-op style store, so it's community owned and operated. This after 7 years without access to fresh food.
It's become a life changing service to some members of this community already. While it's been having some struggles, there has been a great deal of support from the community and from surrounding communities, which has me convinced it will pull through the struggles.
If this succeeds long term, it will stand as a model for other communities to utilize in eliminating food access issues.Teen pregnancy rates hit a historic low in 2022I work as a mental health therapist.
There is certainly a mental health crisis, AND, there are also a lot of people who are recovering. Most of the people who I see end up recovering and graduating from therapy within a year.
We talk a lot about how bad mental health is. We don't talk a lot about recovery in mental health.The days are long and the years are short as a criminal defense attorney. Sometimes I feel discouraged, hopeless, and exhausted. Last year, I took on a military service member pro bono because I sensed he needed my help and needed any hope I could offer him. I convinced a therapist to take on his case pro bono, too. Over the next year, he chose to be sober, attended therapy each week, and really worked to change. This week, I successfully dismissed his case. At his graduation, he told me he once had no hope for future and seriously contemplated [taking his life]. But now, he is hopeful and looking forward for the future. Despite how hard my job is most days, it gave me the strength to keep going.The solar farm that is being installed in my rural area (that will power 10,000 homes at least) is ahead of schedule in constructionExtreme famine has been decreasing significantly the past decade on a global scaleI know this is older news, but maybe people aren't aware of it.
Researchers/scientists have been working with a bacteria to fight cancers. Bacillus Calmette-Guérin has been used with some success to fight bladder cancer.
Edited for clarity.
Edit 2: [here](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9377996/) is a more in depth article I found.I lived in Los Angeles during the eighties, in Van Nuys. I didn’t realize that there was a mountain range to the north of the valley. I drove through in 2013 and there was very little smog. I have been told by people I know who live there that the smog is like ten or twenty percent of what it was in the eighties.This graphic: [Yearly Cases of Guinea Worm in Ethiopia](https://cdn.who.int/media/images/default-source/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/figure1_20200525.png?sfvrsn=9288b1a6_1&Status=Master).
I look this up again when I'm having a bad day or humanity starts to seem awful to me. We can be, but we also did this. We reduced cases of a horrifying, agonizingly painful parasitic infection that destroys lives and livelihoods from over 1,000 cases a year to 7 - and that's just in Ethiopia. A lot of hard-working people did some amazingly good work.Religion is dropping off more and more.I am getting along great with my wife and we are growing as a couple. Most of the world is totally unaware. I also built some speakers I really like. Maybe 2 people know that.There's a growing optimism about the inevitability of renewable energy. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but the most salient point is this: Renewable energy is technology, not a resource. Resources are finite. Technology is ever evolving. If you're familiar with Moore's Law, you know that technology is always advancing to become more powerful and more affordable.My daughter is 11 and in middle school. I always ask her if there are any bullies or like popular people. She always tells me that no one really bully’s and there aren’t really “popular” people that leave everyone else out. When I was in school all anyone ever cared about was being popular and there were tons of bully’s. If what she is saying is true, it gives me hope.Medicine and treatment for many ailments has progressed through the years improving quality AND quantity of lifeThe US is planning on building high speed rail. The first one is expected to be done by 2028.Graphene: The discovery of graphene has opened up new possibilities for creating strong and lightweight materials that can be used in electronics, energy, and other fields.The sun is still going strongChild mortality rates are steadily improving. Same goes with literacy rates, access to clean water, schools, medicine, woman's rights along with most any stat relating to universal quality if life on earth.
