A great post from Seth Godin:

Today’s Globe & Mail reports that over the last 12 years, the number of armed conflicts in the world has gone down by 40% and the number of extremely deadly conflicts (more than 1,000 battle-related deaths) is down by more than 80%.

[But] bad news anywhere in the world shows up in your browser in seconds. Second, there are people making a full time living by scaring us. And lastly, it’s human nature. Vivid images have more impact on us than cold statistics. If I had accompanied this post with a picture of someone in a gutter, the 80% decrease in serious wars over a decade would quickly be forgotten.

Optimism is hard. But it’s usually worth it.

Source: Seth’s Blog: Peace of mind