I'm Major Jackson and this is the Slowdown.

A few years ago, for about a week on the road in hotels, I dressed while watching the

morning news.

As I pulled up my socks, anchors reported on everything from gas station holdups and

drug overdoses to arson and oil spills, a veritable cocktail of sadness.

It darkened even the brightest of those mornings.

In just a few minutes, I'd gotten my days filled of humanity seemingly flawed in nature.

I powered down the television and tossed the remote.

These days, many folks consider it wise to monitor our intake of negative headlines.

If for nothing else, to protect ourselves from stress and misanthropy.

All the news about mass shootings, ratio and justice and climate change, which define much

of my social media scrolling, makes me want to run into the cutly arms of cat videos

and dance crazes.

It all feels so very now.

But people have been grappling with this dichotomy throughout history.

With his character Dr. Pan Gloss, the French satirical playwright Voltaire warned of the dangers

of ignoring the unpleasantness of society, of maintaining an ever-optimistic view of

the world.

Today, the rink of politics and war once again drown out the daily hope of a brighter tomorrow.

Recent local and national events, tragic and painful, can eclipse any recognition of

our blessings, our miracles.

What we experience as grave injustices done to us, or members of a community, or the earth,

...