How to Restore Your Faith in Humanity

• "Take a stroll around a park on the weekend. You’ll see families picnicking, children playing, dogs barking, squirrels nutting and smiles smiling. Parks are such a feel-good place. Go with friends, family or go alone. Either way, be observant and open to the happiness that’s around you.

• Watch a really great movie. I mean, a really great movie. Like Saving Private Ryan or Schindler’s List or Young Frankenstein. Movies about the good in people during the worst of times. Or how even the scariest of monsters can have a heart. Also, come on, Gene Wilder? How can he not cheer you up?

• Watch Military Homecomings. You can find them online or with Billy Ray Cyrus on TLC. I decided to look some up to make it easy and I’m just bawling like a baby now. 1, 2, 3 (seriously, you guys better love me, I’m dripping tears all over my computer), 4, 5. And now you all need to pitch in to help me buy a new computer and more tissues.

• Listen to sad music. Yes, sad music. Research shows that when we listen to sad music, chemicals in the brain are released that are similar to the chemicals released when we cry. These chemicals act as a tranquilizer and calm us down. Enjoy The Smiths and The Perishers. You’ll mope and wallow in the melancholy of it all and then you’ll slowly start to feel better. Once you do, put on something upbeat and joyful like Duran Duran or Noah and the Whale or Kate Nash. And then just dance your ass off.

• Go volunteer. A little more effort than the last few ideas? Perhaps. But if you’re not a typical volunteer type (which is okay, not everyone is!), start small. Clean out your closet and donate clothes to your local shelter or Goodwill. Empty your pantry of some canned goods and take them to a food bank. Or get down and dirty and join an organization to plant trees, clean up trash, read to underprivileged children, anything! There’s tons of ways you can help out, even if you just want to donate some money online.

• Save virtual clippings. Create a bookmark folder called “Faith In Us” or “People Dun Good” or “I LOVE WORLD!” and fill it with news articles, blog entries and other items you find around the internet that restore your faith in humanity. Share stories of  good deeds in the comments and then bookmark this page so that when you’re feeling down, you can come back and remember that people do good things all the time.

• Never forget that those who cheat, steal, lie, hurt, destroy and kill are the minority. There are more people interesting in helping than there are interested in hurting. More people came out to clean up than came out to destroy. "

-- from Made of Air