As it probably has been for many others, these past few months have been a challenge (so challenging for me that I have been deeply uninspired to blog). In the desperate search for good news about the world, I find solace in obscure items: did you know that hundreds of tons of garbage have been removed from the majestic Mount Everest by scores of brave volunteers who, in doing so, are literally risking their lives?
My search for reassurance in humanity led me to Perplexity, the AI tool, where I queried, “what is a source that only features good news?”
(As a side note, I was heartened to learn that Perplexity will tell you when it doesn’t know something, as opposed to ChatGPT’s tendency to “hallucinate” knowledge sources that doesn’t exist. For example, I asked Perplexity what inspired the titular character in the Soft Boy’s 2002 song “Mr. Kennedy.” Perplexity eventually told me that it didn’t know, but that the song reflected Robyn Hitchcock’s deeply individualistic psychedelic surrealism. Couldn’t have said it better myself. Perplexity 1, ChatGPT 0.)
Back to the story: Perplexity led me to five websites: Good Good Good (advocacy), Positive News (UK centric), Only Good News Daily (very brief summaries), Happy Daze (very science-oriented), and the Good News Network which seems to best fit my needs to: 1. Avoid the incredibly depressing and oppressive news cycle that seems unavoidable and incessant, and 2. Turn my attention directly toward good things that are happening in our world, despite the non-stop cycle of evidence to the contrary.
I am a realistic person and I am no more prone to Pollyanna-ish behavior than anyone else, although I admit I tend toward optimism as opposed to doom/gloom. My desire to seek greener pastures news-wise isn’t an “ignorance is bliss” gesture; rather I just need to leaven the heavy burden of being reasonably well informed about our collapsing society with information that makes me believe otherwise. I love The Onion as much as anyone (to wit, the best Onion headline that never saw the light of day: “Spork used as a knife”) but just because it makes me laugh doesn’t mean that I’m not willing to cry.