Pat Taub
In my wildest dreams I never imagined my elder years would be spent in a Fascist state where our basic rights are disappearing at lightening speed.
Feeling depressed and at a loss for overcoming my despair, I remembered, when feeling out of sorts as a girl, my father would affectionately suggest, “Think positively.” Since I’d run out of options, I decided to revisit Dad’s advice.
Family photo, I’m on the far left.
My research on positive thinking led to some surprising findings:
According to Laurie Santos, a Yale psych professor, thinking positively builds the resilience to get through hard times. Recalling people I know who are positive thinkers, my slightly younger brother emerged as a prime example.
After being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, instead of spiraling into a depression, he focuses on his gratitude list: financial security, a loving wife and family and, for now, engagement with causes important to him.
My brother’s response reminded me of Viktor Frankl, author of Man’s Search for Meaning, who discovered meaning in the unimaginable; existence in a Nazi concentration camp(!).
Frankl’s account of resilience is exemplified by last week’s mass wedding of 54 Palestinian couples, who waded through the rubble in Khan Younis to deliver their vows. The brides wore traditional white gowns and carried bouquets of fresh flowers as their grooms smiled broadly, while neighbors watched from the shells of their former homes . This image is one I won’t forget and will retrieve when feeling blue.
Gaza’s wedding parties, December 4, 2025
Palestinians packed into rubble to participate in the weddings–resilience in spades!
When involved in a meaningful project like, teaching, writing, or progressive politics, I feel positive, believing I’m making a contribution, no matter how small.
A valuable resource for positive thinking is The Book of Joy, featuring the wisdom of the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. A big take away is that we feel joy when we stop focusing on our own miserable state and shift our perspective to helping others. A good argument for volunteer or social justice work. I will never forget a Hospice volunteer telling me, “I get so much out of this work. I can’t imagine my life without it.”
For Desmond Tutu the road to positive thinking is through asking, ‘How can I transform a negative experience into a positive one?’
When the Gaza genocide was a few months old, plunging me into despair, I gathered together several peace activist women friends, who shared my anguish. We’ve been meeting for two years. This group has been an infusion of positive thinking for all. We feel less alone among kindred spirits, planning actions to support Gaza while honoring one another’s contributions.
My peace group celebrating one of the member’s birthday
Popular writer Mary Pipher is a big proponent of a daily gratitude practice for finding the light in hard times. Focusing on gratitude can be as simple as the heart-warming image I experienced the other morning, when I watched two young men rescue an elderly man stuck in his motorized wheelchair. A reminder that in our increasingly dark world, good people are among us.
Working with others to resist our escalating authoritarian world is a positive act, helping to alleviate social despair.
Examples include: communities across the country that have organized to chase ICE agents out of their neighborhoods; the ongoing global protests in support of Palestine; newly elected progressives, like New York City, mayor-elect Mamdani; high schools students, in my city of Portland, Maine, skipping classes to march to City Hall to protest the presence of ICE; inspiring leaders like UN Special Rapporteur, Francesca Albanese whose unwavering support for Palestine has resulted in US sanctions which have strapped her financially, rendering her credit cards invalid when she travels.
Portland, Maine high school students protesting at City Hall against ICE presence in their community, December 3,2025
Personal happiness and community happiness go hand in hand. When working with others for a better world my heart is fuller. I recognize our dark times may not shift in my lifetime, but I owe it to future generations to stay the course.
