I’ll try to keep this short (haha good luck), but one thing I’ve noticed is a human tendency towards either looking at the negative aspects of the world/life and fixating on them, making them our primary focus, or looking for negatives.
I wonder sometimes if those who look at the world through a negative lens are actively looking for “a good fight” to give them purpose, or if maybe they can’t avoid seeing it.
Granted, the world is a fucked up place. But truth be told, it always has been, and so long as humans inhabit it, it will continue to be that way.
But it’s our immediate “world” that seems to catch the mess from it, at times.
I remember reading a psych study that demonstrated the differences in two couples: one that acted “normally” (getting home from work, complaining about their day, etc.), and another that made a conscious effort to strip that away and look at the positives in their lives. After a while, the former couple had all of the issues one would expect to encounter, while the latter fared much better, even to the point of becoming closer and much happier.
TL;DR - It’s hard, but I think consciously making an effort to appreciate the small things in life that make you happy can have some pretty amazing long-term benefits. I’ve recently been doing this, and feel less weighed down by things.
Article discussing this much better than i can.