This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Emerson chapter.

We live in a world with many problems, But the worst thing we can do is dwell on it, obsess about it, and blame each other for it. I, for one, would like to hear a little good news. I have here a few modest examples. I’d like to preface this by saying that I am in no way implying that these very serious and complex issues are “fixed” or no longer deserving of our attention and ardent support. I just want to report some good news, because as hard as it may be to believe, good things happen every single day.

1) Elephants Seals!

The adorable aquatic creature has made a miraculous comeback from the brink of extinction. Elephant seals used to number in the tens of thousands until they were slaughtered in the nineteenth century for their oil-rich blubber. The species was thought to be extinct until a population of about eight was discovered off the coast of southern California in 1882. As a result of hunting bans in both the US and Mexico, elephant seals have seen their population increase by 6% each year. Now, there are more than 150,000 elephant seals alive today, and researchers estimate they are now growing at a rate of 16% a year. You can see the adorable – and thankfully saved from extinction – seals on several California beaches. This is an extremely positive and inspiring story for any naysayer who thinks conservation of plants and animals isn’t effective and worthwhile.

2) The Economy!

Our country’s economy is definitely not at its best, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t good news to be found. For example, last Friday, the Dow Jones industrial average (which charts the stock market index of the top 30 privately owned companies in the US), jumped more than 149 points to hit 14,009.8 – the highest it’s been since October 2007. Additionally, the US economy added about 157,000 jobs last month. About 181,000 jobs were added on average per month in 2012. Experts say Friday’s strong numbers, along with increases in the job market, point to “a healthy economic recovery.” 157,000? Can I have one of those?

3) Marriage!

You’ve all heard the uber-depressing statistic: half of marriages in the US end in divorce. Well, I’m pleased to tell you that that number has been decreasing steadily since the early ‘80s, with less people getting divorced and more people reporting longer marriages. The reasons for the emerging numbers have been attributed to the rising trend of people living together before marriage and marrying at a later age. However, those numbers do vary greatly based on race and income. Still, the sanctity of marriage looks pretty safe to me, it just needs to be a bit modernized.

4) Women’s Advancement!

So, 2012 seemed pretty bleak to me as a year for woman. What with all the “legitimate rape” talk and the complete disregard for women’s health rights in stuffy all-male government panels. But I’m glad to tell you there is still good news to be found. Following the 2012 elections, Congress will have at least 20 female senators – the most ever in US history. The senators include Tammy Baldwin, the first openly gay elected Senator, and Mazie Hirono, the first Asian-American woman in the Senate. The House of Representatives also holds a record number of women with 77 congresswomen elected so far, two of whom have military combat experience and another two whom are under the age of 40. A special shout out to goes to New Hampshire, who elected the first ever all-women delegation. All women? That’s a government I’d like to see.

5) Animal shelters!

You’ve heard it a thousand times – you should spay and neuter your pet to help reduce the number of abandoned or homeless animals. But does that really make a huge difference? Is the cat-and-doggy form of birth control really that effective at preventing overcrowded streets and shelters? Well, the organization No More Homeless Pets (NMHP) has the staggering statistics that yes, it does work. In 2002, as many as 17 million homeless dogs and cats were euthanized in the United States. Now, that number is at around 5 million. That’s right, thanks to the efforts of groups like NMHP that work to spay and neuter pets and look for homes for shelter animals, they have decreased the number of euthanized shelter animals by nearly 71%. If that’s not an inspiring story of something selfless actually succeeding in this world, I don’t know what is.

Sources – Read more!

For More Good News:

http://www.oprah.com/spirit/100-Things-That-Are-Getting-Better/3#ixzz2JlfwSTIh

Good News – It Exists!

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