This week I have been making a playlist for my 40th birthday party, which has sent me back into the music of my formative years. People say the 90s was a time of optimism. And it feels like we need a bit of that right now.
I ended up with Alanis Morissette’s One Hand in My Pocket on repeat. It’s basically a song about holding paradoxes, and staying positive. You can be skint and still generous. Lost and still hopeful. One hand in your pocket, the other doing something useful.
Global news is pretty grim right now. But here’s a paradox that might surprise you:
- While global military spending is roughly $2tn a year…
- Global philanthropic giving is also roughly $2tn a yea
If you only look at the headlines, you can end up internalising one story about humanity and where the world is heading. But there is another story that is equally true, happening in parallel: millions of people quietly giving time, money, care, and attention to make things better.
Paradox. Positivity.
So, if you need a small reset this week, try this: put on a song that reminds you of who you were when you first decided to care.
Hold a feeling of hope alongside whatever reality you’re confronting right now. But give it equal weight.
Cos what it all comes down to…
Is that everything’s gonna be fine, fine, fine
