Select Entry- Valerie M. Baute, Age 27

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 enormous advancements in global communication have given me much optimism about the future. The media and internet has not only brought us news from around the world but it has also brought us together in ways we have never experienced. No other generation throughout history has been so aware of and educated on peoples of the world. We can now see and hear first hand what is happening thousands of miles away.

Television shows and news coverage have given us a window into other cultures and races, those of which we may not have ever encountered. When the tsunami hit Asia last year, there was a global outpour of contributions and aid. Billions of dollars from around the world went to those affected by the catastrophe. Within this tragedy was a unifying period where there was no division by country, region, race, or religion, but a feeling of one world and one people. It was no longer just there problem, but our problem.

They say prejudice comes from ignorance, of not knowing or experiencing that which is different. Having the capability and opportunity to actually see or speak to someone across the globe via the Internet helps break down these barriers built by propaganda and hate. Chat rooms for common hobbies and interests show people that they are in fact not as different as they had once thought.

Epals.com, for example, is an internet site bringing together over 5.5 million students from 191 countries to learn together in one large global classroom. They perform classroom projects together and have emailing systems that translate several languages enabling students to communicate easily. Other websites such as Megafriends.com offer ways for people to find pen pals from around the globe for friendship and even love.

These are just a few of the ways this world is rapidly coming together, and it will only grow. Our future is given the hope that there will be less war because of misunderstandings and ignorance and new unity through communication and education. We will find that we can learn from our differences, be open to opposing ideas, and work together for a better future.