Sacrifice for Writing

"I know you're not proposing this as a rational creed, but I wonder, how do you explain to yourself all the awfulness that goes on? The fact that the planet is hellbound? Do you prefer not to think about it, or do you attribute it wholly to understandable mistakes?" Of course I don't prefer not to think about it - but I do think thinking about it endlessly and getting depressed about it while doing nothing is worse than not thinking about it. For me I'd rather do things, whatever they may be, charity work, petitioning or on a lesser scale, smiling at people in the street, letting cars into traffic - whatever I can do. I cannot take on the world and make it the way I want, but I can do whatever I can do. People have been saying the planet is hellbound for centuries and I don't think it is. More people care now, more people actually know things and want to do things about them. I think. I believe. But of course I have my dark moments, but having dark moments doesn't make one a better person does it? Saying, 'I think about how terrible the world is all the time,' doesn't make anthing better. To be fair though, I do attribute many problems in the world to lack of empathy. While we all go around believing in heroes and villains rather than the human need and instinct for survival we'll never see the whole picture. We're a silly bunch always looking for scapegoats. Whether it be in the world, or in our own life stories. Perhaps I do agree that a lot of people have certain advantages re publishing, but I also think focussing on that, getting bitter about it, does nothing for one's own sense of self, or one's own writing career. Thinking positive things helps me get out of some rather dark and destructive depressions, and I'm sticking to it. Um, but I do think if a writer is really good they will get published. I have to believe that Jon, otherwise why the hell am I bothering?