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Editorial: Shining a light in the darkness

There’s no law saying we can’t talk about good things too
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Up until two minutes ago, this editorial was going to be about crime in Penticton.

Then we noticed a Facebook post from local author and advocate Yasmin John-Thorpe, who said she’s sick of all the negativity out there.

“Instead of saying what I dislike, I’m going to post what I admire in people,” writes Yasmin.

She’s got a point. That’s not to say that crime rates and other problems shouldn’t be discussed, or are going to stop appearing in the pages of the Western News.

These, and other difficult issues facing our community like housing and mental health are important, and need to be discussed in open forums.

But sometimes we — as a community — don’t spend enough time celebrating what’s great about living in the Penticton and the South Okanagan. There is a lot of complaining, especially on social media platforms, about our elected officials, crime and other problems. The proportion of noise is pretty high compared to the number of useful solutions that get brought up and discussed.

Through these last months of flooding, fire and smoke, the Western News and other media have done their best to keep people informed of what is going on around the province. We do the same when it comes to crime and other community issues.

When you add in the amplifying effect of social media, it can create a bad impression of what is, overall, a pretty sweet place to live, with lots of great people. That includes the people who are complaining and making negative comments, since they (we presume) are doing so because they care about the community.

We can’t forget about the problems that are facing our communities, and indeed the world, but that doesn’t mean we can’t spend a little time celebrating the beauty of our home, the many wonderful happenings and especially the great people we share it with.

Let’s work to make things better, not just complain.