Select Entry- Reynda King, Age 26

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.

The current state of the world is such that chaos appears to be the norm. Global warming, wars, hunger, and natural disasters are just a few of the issues at the forefront of the daily news. It often seems this trend of entropy will continue to rule, spiraling out of control, and all hope is lost. However, it is this very chaos, in concert with the recurring trends in nature, which make me so exceedingly optimistic about the future.

Scientifically, the universe tends toward chaos, utilizing it to expand, so even chaos has its purpose. If nature teaches us nothing else, it is that chaos itself is a precursor to beauty and order. A forest destroyed will eventually spring forth with life renewed. Times of extreme war and despair are followed by times of happiness, peace, and serenity. Natural disasters renew our basic values in human life. Even the pain and disarray of childbirth give rise to a priceless, precious being. Therefore, in chaotic times, while hope and faith seem futile, we have to remember that always an entity of beauty must emerge and order will be restored as this is nature's way.

Industrial booms lend promise to something new and improved, and we subsequently equate the "future" with the arrival of some new technology. We view it from afar, like and invited guest we are always eagerly awaiting. And while we wait, time ticks by - the minutes, the days, and the years. We are so busy objectifying the future that we fail to realize that it is a relative measure of yesterdays and tomorrows separated only by today. At some point today was the future, so we must capitalize on every today that we are fortunate enough to get.

Consequently, I am optimistic about today. Today I will see my family, start my own business, and find love. Today I will read a book, stand for a cause, and I will be happy. I know the beauty and order that are forthcoming from the current chaos in the world will not be immediate. Until this comes, I can do my part by finding the beauty and restoring the order in my surroundings and helping others do the same in theirs. I am certain that in the billions of microcosms on this earth, someone is finding love, showing compassion, and experiencing friendships. Beauty and order are being found every day, and this knowledge makes me beam with happiness and enhances my optimism for the future. As we patiently wait for the chaos of the world to turn to beauty and order, on a smaller but grander scale, the beauty and order of life continuously abound, and because of this the future will eternally be bright.