A malaise subdues us. Our world feels fatally flawed, weighed down with negativity. You can see it in the fabric of our collective consciousness, on your neighbor’s face when they bring up current events. The future feels like fear.

And yet, as I reflect on 6 years of blogging about the beauty of our world, I feel confident in rejecting the negativity. The fate of the world is not determined. It is open to whatever we make of it, and I truly believe in a positive, prosperous future for all life on Earth.

Besides, the world has always been ending. Every generation laments perceived recent and impending failure. The only difference today is our constant psychological bombardment, technology’s ubiquitous infiltration into our every waking moment. But we can still reject today’s dystopian worldview.

It starts with technology, and it’s incredibly simple (but not easy). We ‘just’ have to put down our phones. Remember that 2010 phone commercial? It’s now normalized reality. Being present has become impossible because we’re incessantly plugged into our devices. We need to unplug for our collective sanity.

I’ve focused on this recently when taking care of my daughter. It’s too easy to scroll through social media while sitting with her on the play mat. But when I put the phone away and simply sit with her, I feel meaning. Watching and playing with her brings joy. I can feel us bonding, feel her learning and growing. These are the favorite moments of my day. Thank you Charlotte, for helping me rediscover the smallest, most beautiful moments of this life.

It ends with love. When we live with love, when we really focus on feeling and delivering it as much as possible every day, we see possibility before us. Saying “I love you” more, to more people. Feeling gratitude for the priceless time spent with loved ones. I think about how many times I tell my wife and daughter I love them each day. I can always say it more. We feel it more when we say it. And feeling more love only breeds positivity and meaning.

If more people put down their phones and focused on living with more love, our zeitgeist would change. It wouldn’t be negative. It would center around the possible and the beautiful. Because this really is a big beautiful amazing world. We can collectively recognize and actualize it together. It’s what I hope to continue doing with TAV for another year. Love to you all.