This is a very good, condensed, and positive message by Canadian astronaut, Chris Hadfield. It is easy to focus on all the negative situations that are paraded before us daily, yet to forget that many aspects of life are steadily improving in most nations. Yet, there is still work to do. So, we can take Mr. Hadfield’s admonition to heart and do what we can to make things better.

“When thinking if you’re going to be optimistic this year, remember, nobody changes the world on their own. It all starts with a resolution… what’s yours?” -Chris Hadfield

If you have an extra twenty-ish minutes, you may enjoy this closely related video by Dr. Steven Pinker. It is a talk called, “The Better Angels of Our Nature,” about the decrease of violence over the centuries. It presents some very comprehensive material regarding the subject.