Reasons to stay optimistic

Most of the time, all the standard economic indicators and the news media are bearer of bad news upon bad news and offer a very somber outlook for the future, but when you stop and think about what is being measured, we find the usual suspects: Wealth, convenience and comfort. To many, these ingredients are synonymous to happiness. To more discerning however, they're a flawed representation of what happiness should be; instead, that notion should be the product of love, trust, self-realization and social harmony among other noble values.

This said, if there is not much to be optimistic about in a Wall Street point-of-view or elements like greed, accumulation and lavish lifestyle, so be it! I won't have a problem with that. I still can remain optimistic that, out of the ashes of our recent financial crash, something much better will emerge...