So today, unfortunately, is a Monday. It’s not a particularly bad Monday for me personally, although the Weather Network is threatening rain and wet snow throughout the day here in Kitchener, Ontario. It’s an unfortunate Monday because it seems to be a capsule for tumultuous and violent events around the world.

First, today is Remembrance Day and Canadians everywhere will be in some way or another stopping “to reflect on the sacrifices of wars past and modern-day conflicts coming to an end” (The Canadian Press, November 11th, 2013). Conflict between humans is thus top of mind.

Second, today is when full awareness of the storm in the Philippines has reached our ears, and rescue efforts are beginning to throttle up in full force. According to news sources, “[r]escue workers struggled to reach ravaged towns and villages in the central Philippines on Monday as they tried to deliver aid to survivors of a powerful typhoon that killed an estimated 10,000 people and displaced more than 600,000” (Mogato and Ng, November 10th, 2013). Therefore, natural disasters experienced by humans are also prominent in our minds today.

Most days of the year, you can find negative and/or depressing new stories floating around on media channels everywhere. Sometimes these stories can be powerfully poignant or moving; and when they are, it’s time to take action. Action can involve everything from contributing to relief efforts in the Philippines to spending a moment quietly reflecting on the source of and solutions to human conflicts.

As we all know from the pasta-loving fat cat, Garfield, Monday’s suck. Here’s hoping that future Mondays are filled with good news!