Select Entry- Jacqueline Silvestri

Welcome to our Optimistic Essay category. Here you will find the $1,000 winning contest essay, 5 finalist essays and 15 honorable mention essays and a growing list of hand-picked select essays that readers submitted during our "Why Are You Optimistic About the Future?" contest.

It has been said that a person cannot appreciate a glass of water unless he has been thirsty, and that life can be viewed as either a half-empty glass, or a half-full glass. Though old clichés, their relevance is key when examining the outcome of current events that have taken place not only in our homeland, but in the world in general.

On September 11, 2001, an attack on the World Trade Tower in New York City by terrorists took the lives of hundreds unsuspecting Americans. This was indeed a horrendous act of evil, bringing to question not only the inner workings of mankind, but also the future of our country's security.

We then experienced the Asian Tsunami, which was caused by an undersea earthquake on December 26, 2004, killing more than 283,100 people, which made it one of the deadliest disasters in modern history.

Then, a category 5 hurricane named Katrina with maximum winds of 175 mph, hit the gulf cost of America on August 25, 2005. Besides the outstanding number of lives lost to this disaster, it was the costliest tropical cyclone of all times, with estimated damage amounting to over 75 billion dollars. Those who did not loose their lives in this disaster were forced to flee the area, while their homes and business' were ultimately destroyed.

Remarkably, in the midst of these man-made and natural disasters, people from all continents and all walks of lives rallied together with an outpouring of emotional and financial support for the victims. Things that had once been taken for granted were now suddenly given a new reverence. I believe that through these and other disasters, there was a "spiritual awakening" for mankind. The realization that we all share this earth as one, and are not an island unto ourselves but rather, obligated to each other to ensure the basic human needs of safety, shelter, nourishment, and emotional support has surfaced from the dark hours of despair.

Though lessons learned are usually the most difficult in the aftermath of disasters, they nevertheless can be a turning point in our outlook and behavior for the future. Though evil has existed since the beginning of time, and natural disasters are beyond our control, I believe that our ability to discern what is important and what is irrelevant has been brought into the light because of them.

I am optimistic for the future in witnessing the outpouring of compassion by fellow human beings in the midst of tragedy. Though no country or government is flawless, ours is one with the priority of ensuring freedom and safety for its citizens at any cost. And though natural disasters can not be eliminated, the outstanding outpour of assistance for those in need have touched my heart.

On a personal level, these things bring to surface the necessary process of reexamining the things in life which are to be held dear. Though certain material possessions are necessary for safety and comfort, the realization that they can all be taken away in the blink of an eye is life changing. I am optimistic about the future in that I believe the majority of people who have experienced these tragedies first hand, or who been witness to them, now hold dear the compassion of their fellow human beings. I am optimistic in watching our country stand together to ensure that the terrorist threat is kept at bay.

I believe that tragedy, though heart-breaking, has brought about a spiritual evolution of sorts. You cannot appreciate what you have unless it is threatened or taken away. I am optimistic that our future holds not only a desire to move forward, but a larger awareness of what is important to us as a society.