Select Entry- Jimmie Dean Braley, Age 19

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.

In today's world, true optimism is a substantial achievement. To possess true optimism, one must feel confident that the environment in which they

live has the capacity to change for the overall good of society. Since no person factually has the ability to predict the future, we must rely on our

optimism and thus, our conviction for making our own environment as perfect as we can make it. I must then be inevitably optimistic about my future and

the future of the society in which I live. I believe that there exists a light within us all that allows us to push forward through fear, despotism,

complacency and ignorance and will light for us a new path of wisdom that will grant us all a better understanding of ourselves and our world.

Today, mankind has polluted the earth pole to pole, created weapons able to destroy us all by the flick of a switch and lost itself in a haze of total

apathy and contentment with what is happening all around them. We have developed more types of medication and medical treatment than ever before,

yet more and more people seem to be afflicted by growing numbers of illness and disease. We have created for ourselves a defiled vessel in which we travel through the vastness of space upon with no conceivable purpose, but

toward a terrifying end. We allow, breed and even celebrate war, murder, corruption and contempt of life for our own self-serving benefits. Our simple habits have evolved into malignant indecencies. We no longer give

thanks to mysterious entities for granting us all the gift of life, but curse our own existence and befoul and bargain ourselves away at the highest bidder. Society has certainly painted a grim picture of itself in its own eyes. The time has come for a reformation. Hope must prevail over complacency thus provoking a pure and noble optimism within us all.

In order to understand the possibilities of tomorrow, we must first look at where we have been. Throughout history, mankind has fought complacency, tyranny and oppression, and has always come through with a new and broader perception of the world in which they live. Mankind has achieved these amazing feats of brilliance through the determination, perseverance and individuality of a select few people who stood up as leaders of each new and beautiful era. William Shakespeare wrote "To be or not to be", and that truly is the question. It begs a personal inquest to which we must all answer for ourselves. Whether we should stand up against impossible odds for what we know is right, or simply lay down on our backs and be trampled upon in complete fear and indifference. Thomas Payne wrote "The Rights of Man" in order to show men that they are all equal and that they all possess the knowledge and determination to live happily and free. This was a time when the very values in which the United States of America was founded upon were being forged in blood and tears, yet he was not deterred in his motive by the perceptions and opinions of the status quo. Dr. Martin Luther King stood against violence and hatred to bring equality to everyone, regardless of our differences. His brilliance allowed the rest of us to acknowledge that no person should ever be secluded in any way simply because they do not look like other people. Rosa Parks simply sat down on a bus. 2 Pac Shakur begged for people to recognize each other as equals. Edward Murrow was blasted by his own government for standing up for the rights of the people. Mahatma Gandhi and Jesus Christ were murdered for telling people to treat each other with respect and dignity. These men and women were defectors and were guilty of crimes applied to them by men who could not define them. Yet we look upon them now as the heroes and saviors in which they were. All is based upon perception and none of our perceptions are the same. It is what makes life worth living. They were right in their cause and they were true

to themselves.

I believe that every generation produces people who hold in their hearts, the ability to change the world. We have seen this proven time and time again throughout history and a time for a new change will come once again.The real question is, will we be ready and accepting of a new and beautiful transition or will we fight a meaningless battle against an unseen enemy. Reform must occur in order for freedom and happiness to take hold and prevail over hatred and complacency. We must all look to the sky and really open our eyes to the messages all around us. We did not choose to be placed here on earth, but we have been given the ability to decide what to do with our time here. Why must we all claim to have the right answers? Why must we kill and maim each other in the name of God? Why don't we take a moment out of our busy lives to notice that what we are doing here is not beneficial? Am I really optimistic about the future? Of course I am. We all must be. We must not loose our hopes and our dreams, but rather strive to achieve them everyday. By doing so we will show our own individuality and perseverance and thus, we will all possess "true optimism" for the future.