Ursine Science

There's a lot of mainstream works out there today—movies, TV shows, books—that extol the virtue of kindness, love, positivity in an increasingly cruel and careless world. And while this is messaging that I nominally agree with, and it's no wonder why it's a form of escapism for so many, it more often than not comes off as feeling didactic, shallow, perhaps even patronizing. It doesn't really cut to the root of why and how people feel hopeless, and why such lofty concepts can feel unattainable. Like the fictional equivalent of some vapid motivational poster. This is not one of those works. The truth is that you have to be hopeful. You have to be kind to others. You have to keep reaching out to others. Not because it's the only way to combat the pitch black miasma embedded in all things, but because it's what makes this whole living thing worth it in the first place. That's the entire point of everything! And the villains and politicians of this world seek to take it from you because it makes you easier to control. All the happy, warm, fuzzy feelings aren't always easy. Giving into the despair is easy. Refusing to give in is hard, and can feel miserable, and is something…