If you feel overwhelmed, scared, blue, and powerless, you definitely aren’t alone. Recent years make it seem like humankind is stuck in a loop of permanent crises, with no end in sight. And yet, there is still a lot of good out there in the world. But you need to remind yourself to look for those silver linings instead of doomscrolling all day long.
Today, we’re featuring some of the most brilliant photos full of kindness and optimism, as shared by members of the AskReddit community. They posted pictures that, in their opinion, show the brighter side of humanity. Scroll down to bring a bit more sunshine into your life.
#1
Elephant being taken to see other animals around a zoo.
trippingbilly0304:
HELLO FELLOW INMATE
BLINK TWICE FOR THE REVOLUTION
Image source: moleculardeerwinter
#2
Happy French girl and her cat (1959)
Image source: Happypiratehooker
#3
Japanese rescue worker pulled a baby (unharmed) out of the rubble after the 2011 earthquake/tsunami. I love the smile on his face.
Image source: anon
Despite what you might think, human beings are actually hard-wired for empathy and kindness because we have mirror neurons. It’s a survival strategy that allowed our ancestors to live through tough times, with the help of their community. In short, we’re born for pro-social behavior.
On the flip side, this instinct for compassion is constantly at odds with people’s drive for selfishness, namely, hoarding resources to improve their odds of survival. So, it’s in between these two instincts (selflessness and selfishness) that you make your daily decisions.
There are different types of empathy. For example, Verywell Mind explains that affective empathy involves your ability to understand another individual’s emotions and then respond to them appropriately.
#4
A man giving his shoes to a homeless girl in Rio de Janeiro.
Image source: RaygunSmash
#5
Australian Firefighter feeding a koala some water after a wildfire.
Image source: Insperayshun
#6
Punk rocker lets a little kid touch his spiked jacket.
Image source: notjawn
Meanwhile, somatic empathy means that you have a physical reaction to what someone else is experiencing. For instance, seeing someone else feeling embarrassed might make you blush.
Cognitive empathy, on the other hand, is your ability to understand someone else’s mental state and what they might be thinking.
Being empathetic generally means that you’re able to build stronger relationships with others. And your positive relationships, in turn, are great for both your physical and mental well-being.
What’s more, empathizing with others helps you learn to regulate your own emotions, which means that you can weather (more) stress without becoming (too) overwhelmed. This can work in reverse, too: being able to self-regulate your emotions can make you more empathetic, too.
#7
A woman saving a baby seagull in Boston harbor. I thought it was quite incredible of her to put so much effort into saving such a mundane creature.
Apparently, that’s also the reason she did it. The fact that nobody else would bother with a bird like that.
Image source: Muffinizer1
#8
A Japanese-American man tearfully welcomes his son home from the WW2. His son was part of the 442nd Battalion, which was made up of segregated Japanese-Americans, and one of the most decorated battalions for its size and length of service in American history, despite being subject to deep prejudices at home and abroad.
The old father’s face and his protective embrace gets me every time.
Image source: etidorpha
#9
This dude high-fiving strangers on the Williamsburg Bridge.
Edit: Just so we’re clear, that’s me.
Image source: LearnedPaw
Which of the photos featured in this list left the biggest impression and why, Pandas? Where do you look for hope, optimism, and inspiration when the world feels overwhelming, unkind, dark, and oppressive?
What are some small acts of kindness that you try to do every single day? Would you call yourself an empathetic person? If you feel like sharing, we’ll be waiting to read your comments down below.
#10
The dog in Mexico that for some reason ended up in a parade with lots of people cheering it on.
Image source: Phunkstar
#11
Old man proudly poses with one of his biggest onions. (I think its size broke a record somewhere, does someone remembers this?)
Image source: flythistime
#12
This photo of a Mongolian girl and her camel is full of joy.
Image source: verdantsf
#13
All old-timey photos are so serious. It’s nice to see this one with a couple smiling and laughing. Makes them seem more relatable.
Image source: trekbette
#14
There’s this guy on Instagram, wolfgang2242, who adopts senior dogs and other unwanted pets and gives them a better life. This includes dogs with severe health problems.
Image source: anon
#15
A photo I took of a young girl seeing herself in another photographer’s photo for the very first time. Her reaction was so beautiful and pure. I like to go back and look at this when I’m feeling down. I only wish that I could share the sound of her laughter with you guys, it was even more beautiful.
Image source: UlrichVonLictenstein
#16
Irish rugby player Brian O’Driscoll visiting a young girl in the hospital after winning the Heineken cup.
Image source: CLint_FLicker
#17
Superheros at children hospitals always makes me smile
Image source: anon
#18
This picture of a man holding an umbrella over a guy in a wheelchair.
Image source: toe__knife
#19
10 religious faiths of Singapore coming together to bless the F1 track. Hearing about religious tension in other countries helps me to never take peace for granted, and know that peace is always possible.
Image source: theforgottentaco
#20
The Pale Blue Dot
To quote Sagan himself “(Edit: The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand. It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world.)To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we’ve ever known.”
Image source: unknowinglyderpy
#21
A student made little costumes for squirrels and photographed them.
Image source: EricT59
#22
The “camelback librarian” who goes all around Mongolia to give books to children who don’t have access to traditional libraries.
Image source: Jerjacques
#23
Three year old girl fascinated by a butterfly.
Image source: collin_sic
#24
This GoPro video of a firefighter saving this kitten.
Image source: superdoof
#25
This plaque
On 22. September 1984 the French president and the German chancellor met for the first time on this french national cemetery. In joint remembrance of the fallen soldiers of both world wars they laid wreaths and declared: “We have found reconciliation, we have found our common values, we have become friends”.
Image source: anon
#26
[This]( is Rico Abreu, a 24 year-old man with dwarfism who’s now becoming an accomplished race car driver. I find that d**n inspiring.
Image source: gamedemon24
#27
A widow and former maid unable to work, looks on as her former employers put a head stone on her husband’s grave
I took this today, I really like it
Edit: A bit more of the story behind it. I took this today when I went with my parents to put a headstone on our former maid/babysitter’s husband’s grave. She helped raise me for the first 13/14 years of my life and she’s like a second mom to me. She only quit working for us when she became too old to work. She’s been out of work for about a year or two and she lives in a housing project. She’s a really sweet woman, and only received an elementary education. I don’t know how it was like for her growing up besides that though. She is in her 60’s.
Image source: Leecannon_
#28
On 2/7/2012, one of the commanders of the Brazilian Army, general Gonçalves Dias, asked the protesters in strike to please not fight, since it was his birthday. They abided and got the general a cake so everyone could celebrate together, even if they were in “opposite” sides. The general cried and hugged one of the leaders of the protesters.
Image source: flythistime
#29
This picture of a danish police officer, playing with a syrian refugee, on the highway.
Image source: kera2k
#30
Christians protecting Muslims while they pray during protests in Egypt
Image source: RaygunSmash
#31
Austrian boy receives new shoes during WW2
Image source: anon
#32
This traffic policeman in Iran covering a street sales boy from rain.
Image source: api10
#33
This one gets me every time.
Sgt. Bret Barnum (cop) hugs 12-year-old Devonte Hart (black child) during the Ferguson rally in Portland on Nov. 25, 2014
Image source: anon
#34
KTVU Anchor Frank Somerville taking out his daughter’s braids.
Image source: anon
#35
Man discovers his dog after an F-5 tornado destroys his house in North Alabama.
Image source: AUEngineer90
#36
It’s slightly more personal, but a couple weeks ago I recieved a message from a neighbour via cat, and I talked to him face-to-face a few days later. It turns out that as he was talking to me Nala was in his living room at that moment! I thought it was really nice to have a neighbour check up, and to live in an area as nice as that.
Image source: TrippingOnAlkali
#37
These baby bats rescued from a heat wave.
Image source: PM_SMALLER_TITS
