Wants the world to be ok...

I've noticed that despite thinking I'm a cynic, I'm actually an optimist.

I believe in people and their passions. I'm probably a little (or a lot) naive, but I like to think that people enter fields because they believe they can change the world for the better through that profession. I know that there are tons of teachers, nurses, doctors, social workers, accountants, etc., etc. etc. working incredibly hard trying to create their version of the perfect reality. I know there are differences in people's "ideal" realities, but when you really look at things closely, I think it ultimately comes down to being sure my family and friends are happy. We want to live in a world where we have the potential to maximize our happiness.

I think people are so quick to judge and find faults and differences and neglect to notice the commonalities. There are so many absolutely incredible individuals who are super passionate about what they are doing

I guess I am just really sad to continue to hear the language of negativity. Our systems aren't perfect, but that doesn't mean that there aren't a huge number of people working trying to improve them. I think it's really unfortunate that sometimes that's the angle we take and instead of valuing the work that is being done, we complain about it. I.e., the view that "the civil service is a bunch of bureaucrats who do nothing but push paper all day". If you have a basic understanding of psychology (or any common sense for that matter), I think you'll realize that no one gets motivated when you tell them the work they are doing is meaningless.

I'm a big fan of the language of collaboration as an alternative. I think we need to get past this "competition" view...we know everyone works hard and has stressful lives. I think instead of complaining about other sectors, organizations or fields we need to start conversations, make suggestions.

Again, this is probably me being naive, but I like to think our systems are not fixed. We can make changes.

I know I sometimes go on tangents about some of the 'systems' that irk me...starting now I am going to adopt a philosophy of not wasting time/energy complaining. Instead, I will devote my time to learning more about the issues.