Hello all, hope everyone is doing well. I am good, just hit 60 days completely opiate free with about 110 from my DOC. Holding down a good job and making strides in my personal journey of taking my life back from addiction, so all good things there. Something i struggle with however (like many i suspect) is making my way sober through the average day’s events in the world we are currently living in. The rise of hatred and discrimination as acceptable responses in our society, the terrible destruction of human rights at the most basic level being normalized at every turn, its honestly a terrifying concept to try and live a principaled and empathetic life in this day and age, much less one that is condusive to a recovery environment. I personally find that clinging to my own truths and moral compass and just seeking to help others when presented with the opportunity guides most of my decisions in a way i feel good about, but every once in a while i fuck up and act selfishly or otherwise to the detriment of those around me, and i find it to be a battle of constant self vigilance. Just wondering how others in recovery are able to reconcile the awful world around them with their own internal compass for being. Not to get too deep haha ok bye
We can only do what’s best. The world is a mess. Let’s not mess it up any more ourselves. Us using would only make the world worse. That’s it for me basically. Congrats on your clean time and keep going Chase.
I don’t concern myself with the world only the people in my world.
Hi Chase, good points, there is a lot going on and it can seem bleak when we look at some people’s behaviours on their own (people being divisive and demeaning, for example, when we see that it can feel discouraging). I understand how you feel.
Like folks have said above, ultimately you can only focus on your own behaviour, and you have to let others’ behaviour go, like water off a duck’s back.
The good news is there’s a great deal of power you have to make a difference. You can pitch in at your recovery meeting (sweep floor, arrange chairs, get people water, etc etc), you can make a gift for a neighbour (cookies?), you can write someone a card saying you’re thinking of them.
The stuff that shows up on the news is alarming, yes, but keep in mind alarming topics are chosen partly to get attention, clicks, and ad revenue. If you’re looking for another news source, try Talking Sober, right here 
Good news movement ( no politics 
)
It is part of the nature of the world to decay. All things decay. Look at the trees fallen down in the forest. They inevitably decay.
Decay is necessary for new life. The same trees that have fallen down are now host to new growth; they form the foundation for new life, new plants, new progress.
The decay you see in human behaviour today is part of the old ways of behaviour falling apart. They are falling apart because they are unhealthy and unsustainable. This is good news actually.
Your work is to grow the new life that will replace them, and it’s pretty simple: be the change you want to see. Live a life of healthy service and kindness. Build momentum. It starts with recovery. You’re already on your way
I don’t understand why this post was post was flagged. It says nothing except having a hard time watching people’s basic human rights being shit on. And that can put you in a mindset to make sobriety harder than it already is.
Hey Chase…these sure are wild times that we are living in. In helps me to try to seek out small communities that I can actively engage in and try to make them better. Can I bring compassion to the line I’m standing on at Trader Joe’s? Can I create 90 minutes of focused, productive, creative, supportive, mutually beneficial time with my students in this class? Can I support my sister and, when it is my time to talk, have meaningful communication about our relationship, or where I’m at, or what I’m thinking about when we’re on the phone? When I engage in my micro communities during the day I 1. Have a real time ability to affect change in my day and 2. Recognize the humanity, life and vibrancy happening daily on a personal level.
Then , like others have been saying here, I try to remember that these ups and downs have been happening on a massive scale as long as we have been around, and I’m on this rollercoaster just trying to hold on. The Buddhist teachings tend to help here. Jack Kornfield’s “Buddhism for Beginners” comes to mind, and anything by Pema Chodron.
Wishing you well today
Oh I hear you… we can get very deep down the hole of despair if we allow our shoulders to carry the burdens of the world. For myself, I stay very involved in my communities, doing my part as best I can. I volunteer in various ways where I feel called and feel like I can make a difference. I have found great solace in driving Meals on Wheels over the years and bringing food and friendship to people who may not see anyone else all day. Local shelters …food, animal, domestic violence…all can use helpful hands and open hearts.
As @ELY83 suggested as well, the smile to the person in line in front of you, bringing read books to your Little Free Library or creating one, having those meaningful conversations with friends and family, working with our local boards and schools, simply being an open hearted and caring person…this is how we create a more peaceful world around us. Connecting with others is so important.
Try not to be too hard on yourself. We are all humans, doing our best in a messy sometimes scary world.
And as mentioned, Buddhist teachings can help us make sense in a senseless world and bring calm to chaos within.
Thank you for sharing. 
I’m very sensitive to the state of the world and society, it’s not uncommon for me to get bogged down in these things at times when I look around and feel hopeless about the direction we’re heading. It’s a big part of why I drank.
4 years no drinking, and I’m still not terribly optimistic. BUT I think what helps me is scaling things down. Less big picture. Try to do my best in my little world - take care of and be a friend to my dog. Watch my plants grow. Tell people I love them. Things like that.
Lots of great shares in this thread. I really had to cut down on my news consumption. Also, I’m focused on what I can control. I canvas, wrote postcards and work phone banks before elections. Instead of fretting about things, I take action. It does help.
Beautiful shares here, thank you guys. Guess i need to leave out specifics next time i pontificate on the state of the world lol but really i am sorry if any were offended by my words, that was not my intention. Seeing all the suggestions to approach things from the little picture perspective and doing good where i can in my own life and the lives of those around me is fantastic advice, really helps to draw my focus away from all that stuff and concentrate on the small but real change i can put out into the world. Thanks again for all the replies, hope you guys are doing great!
It is better to light a candle, than to curse the darkness.
How can you tell if a post has been flagged?
It would say right at the top but this one has been unflagged because i edited out the part that violated the forum rules on politics.
All big changes started small. 
@PinkyP If it’s been flagged, the text turns gray. If the flag stands, it will say “Flagged by a user” or something like that and you have to actually opt to see the flagged content.
I guess I am hopeful because I believe the electorate gets it (note: this could go either way and is not being political). I am hopeful with our election system that things can change for the better. Not always, but sometimes. Things are like a pendulum that swings back and forth. One thing doesn’t work and then it gets (hopefully) corrected. You can hate what is going on, and also be hopeful for change. They can both coexist. Also congratulations on 60 and 100 days! Those first 60 days are BIG ones!
Ah, i see, thanks 
If you turn off the television and get off social media, youll find that the world isnt so bad. Go talk to your neighbors, strike up conversation at the park.
The majority of people in the world are good. I don’t obsess with news, the more they upset us the more money they make. Congratulations on your numbers man, that’s something to be proud of.
Honestly an amazing response. You’re so very right about being the change you want to see. It’s such a small thing that we forget how much a single kind word or deed can reverberate throughout our lives and the lives of those closest to us. Its a small hard bit of progress to make, but worth remembering that most great progress is made by way of chips and gouges over a long time. Heres to todays chip 
Can totally relate to this post, it has been a red line through my life. I feel incredible desolation if i see the massive destruction and pollution of the planet and when confronted with images of war and violence. I’ve always concerned myself with these far from my bed topics, as i come from a rich and fairly safe country. I have chosen to pick fights against injustice on a local level and in a way still continue to do so. Never chosing to go political nor violent. I have tried periods of not watching the news to not pollute my mind with more negativity. But somehow i think this ignorant attitude, while helpful on a personal level, is not the way to go. First and foremost we must strive to become the kind, compassionate and loving being that we all are deep down inside. But with full realisation that we can’t solve all the problems in the world we also must do our best to do at least a fraction of that work.