I’m not an American citizen; I don’t live in the U.S. either. But as I understand it, the Electoral College was set up to prevent an unfit president being elected by the people.

And (naively, I admit) I lived in hope these past weeks that the course of history would be changed by the people with the power to do so.

That didn’t happen—no light at the end of that tunnel.

Every day, I scroll past photos and reports of the horrific reality of life in Syria, of the homeless dying in doorways on winter nights, or videos of live animals being tortured as part of the daily meat production grind.

And then there’s the latest batch of terrorist attacks and the ongoing spectre of global warming—so many depressing issues waging for our attention.

It takes a serious and conscious effort to keep our spirits up.

Here are some of the ways I keep myself sane:

I meditate every morning.

Over breakfast, I read something uplifting.

I cuddle my cat.

I click on the funny videos that appear in my newsfeed.

I read stories and watch other videos conveying heart-warming tales like this one—the 1914 Christmas Truce:

On Christmas Day in 1914, English and German troops left their trenches and came together in the no-man’s land that lay between them to wish each other well, exchange gifts and even enjoy a game of football.

And two years ago, to mark the anniversary, a UK company made a video of this heartwarming story as their Christmas ad. But the beauty of it is that the focus is totally on the message of a true Christmas spirit. And to go along with the official video, they also made another telling the story in more documentary-style. 

Somebody shared the official video on Facebook the other day and it was one of my sanity-keeping moments for that day. “The Great War,” as it was known at the time, was a dark time for those who lived through it. And yet, in what must have been the bleakest place on earth, humanity sneaked its way through.

And that’s how I stay sane—by holding on to the belief that humanity will always, somehow, sneak through the darkness.

“What matters most is the message that whole event carries which is that, even at the toughest of times in the heat of war and the most dreadful occasions, there can be great humanity.”

Author: Hilda Carroll

Image: Youtube Screenshot

Editor: Catherine Monkman