There’s something missing from most of the movies and books I’ve been reading lately. Optimism seems in short supply and often when people create something optimistic they are told they’re being naïve.
It is possible to be hopeful and optimistic and still know how screwed up our world is. Being optimistic isn’t ignoring the bad; it’s deciding to concentrate on the good and on finding solutions.
Maybe that’s why I like Star Trek, it shows us a future where we’ve gone beyond the major problems of our times.
It’s the reason that the new Supergirl trailer resonates with me. It has a fun optimistic point of view. She’s not a hero because of her tragic past but because she wants to help the world.
It feels like lately we, as a culture are obsessed with the Apocalypse and it would be easy to assume that we’re obsessed with the end of the world. The apocalypse isn’t normally about death but about rebirth. All genres and types of stories can be optimistic.
In the words of Hannah Hart, “Practice Reckless Optimism!”
Éric
