Don't you ever find yourself wishing the world was easier to handle?
With all the division, death, disease, and sadnesss, it's nice to every once in awhile find moments of joy and levity, be they few and far between.
The joys of life are there, though. If you know where to look.
u/bonqz asked:
What is an uplifting and happy fact?
Here were some of those answers.
The A-Panda Show
Pandas are no longer considered an endangered species. Also, being a professional panda caretaker is one of the highest paying jobs in China, if I remember correctly, their average salary is about $32.5k.
Pet Ze Fish?
Fish can learn to recognize their owner. People have a misconception that fish can't see out of the glass of their aquariums, but the reality is that they have surprisingly good eyesight.
They also tend to have different personalities. Like, for example, some fish like to be pet:
People don't give fish enough credit.
Frission And Frusion
That chill down your spine when you listen to music is called frisson. It's a leading principal behind ASMR and can be triggered by, among other things, irregular music patterns. If your song ever just stopped the music for a beat then started again, this can cause it. Frisson is a fantastic feeling and it has been described as a 'skin orgasm' so take that as you will.
Fun Little Satires
There is a heavy metal band called "Hatebeak".
Their lead singer is an African Grey Parrot.
Albums like "Hellbent for Feathers" and "Bird Seeds of Vengeance". Its kinda awesome.
Slow And Steady Progress
The leading cause of death is heart problems, Alzheimers, and cancer not because we are getting unhealthy but because we aren't dying from more horrible diseases like Cholera, the plague, or any other nasty microbial diseases. More humans are able to reach older ages where natural age killers are more likely to end us rather than invading microbes.
Excited Beaks
Members of at least one type of parrot give themselves a unique name. It's a variation on their parents' names which they learn cause these parrots announce themselves. "Hey, it's me! <parrotname>!"
So just imagine a bunch of birds all excited about being themselves
Man's Best Friend
Your dog really does genuinely love you, it's not just a case of depending on you for toys and food.
It's been studied that the oxytocin levels in a dog's brain sharply elevate when they see a human they have a positive relationship with. When exposed to the scent of their owners in an MRI machine, the dogs' levels elevated higher than any other scent.
Stomped Out
Smallpox emerged over 10,000 years ago. At its peak the disease killed 15 million people a year, maimed millions more and and caused 1/3 of all blindness.
Between the 1850s and the 1910s, mandatory vaccination drove smallpox out of North America and Europe. A coordinated UN effort from 1950 to the 1970s eliminated smallpox from the rest of the world. There hasn't been a single case since 1977.
Working together, every country in the world teamed up to destroy an enemy that killed an estimated 400-500 million people in the 20th Century alone. And it took less than three decades to make it happen. The campaign to eliminate smallpox is proof that a united humanity is capable of incredible things.
Pet Pets
When a dog puts his or her paw on you that's their way of petting you. And when they lean on you and put their whole weight on you, that's their way of telling you they love you.
When a cat blinks slowly at you, that's a "kitty kiss". It's their way of telling you they trust you. When they run their face on yours that's them saying that you're part of their family.
Hohoho, Hehehe, And A Couple Of Tralalas
Something I've been thinking about the past few days is laughter. We all have a distinct and unique laugh. People often mention how your fingerprint is unique and all that but I don't much care about some lines on my hands as much as I care about the way I express my joy. Try and emulate another person's laughter and it just won't be natural, because we all have our own special sound to tell others we're happy and we're having fun. I find it beautiful.
