[via Seth]

I like this one very much: Optimism is hard. But it’s usually worth it.
Seth gives us some precise examples. Hard to believe but simply the “brutal facts”.

Today’s Globe & Mail reports that over teh last 12 years, the number of armed conflicts in the world has gone down by 40% and the number of extremely deadly conflicts (more than 1,000 battle-related deaths) is down by more than 80%.

A different source reports that New York is the safest large city in the US, with serious crime continuing to drop.

And it’s much harder to get sick from bad sushi, too. (has to do with aggressive refrigeration.)