What is the good news today? There must be some, despite Brazil still reeling under Covid’s assault, Beijing choking in the worst dust storm in a decade, and terrible ongoing wars in Yemen and Syria. This was part of my internal monologue this morning, before opening up the news apps. I am happy to report a swift reward in the form of several uplifting dispatches.
Number one piece of good news: Deb Haaland has been confirmed as US Secretary of the Interior – the first Indigenous person to become a cabinet secretary in the country. It is appropriate – and a relief – that the task of safeguarding the nation’s land, sea and natural resources has been entrusted, in these fraught times, to a representative of the original custodians of America’s biosphere. Haaland will also be responsible for enforcing the neglected native rights enshrined in numerous treaties with the tribes. I love the fact that she is a 60-year old woman who has promised to “be fierce for all of us” on climate. The bill she sponsored in 2020 for the 30 x 30 commitment – setting a goal to protect 30% of the US’s land and oceans by 2030 – has been made into an executive order by President Biden. Excellent news for Earth’s biodiversity and climate.
The second piece of happy tidings I alight on arises from the world of the arts, so hard hit by the pandemic. An intriguing new musical instrument has won first prize in the 2021 Guthman Musical Instrument Competition, convened annually by Georgia Tech’s School of Music. The idea for Úlfur Hansson’s mysterious and beautiful segulharpa, or electromagnetic harp, came to him in a moment of boredom during a class at the Icelandic Art Academy. The harp, which sounds like an organ, is completely handmade. Hansson carved its shield-like surface from walnut wood and soldered its inner circuits himself.
As he explains in his disarming manner, the segulharpa is completely acoustic, even though it is an electronic instrument. It has 25 steel strings, each of which is set vibrating by a pair of electromagnets that create a feedback loop through the string. The harp can be played in a tactile fashion, through a keyboard of copper sensors engraved into the front surface, or via a computer. This cohesive and hybrid interaction between musician, physical instrument and electronic controls he describes as the most obvious next step in the evolution of electronic music.
Hansson explains the unpredictability baked into the design, so that “depending on what you play, with a chord you create an ecosystem – the strings kind-of do different things”. This is because the strings can vibrate at either their fundamental frequencies or at one of the harmonics of their overtone series, influenced by the frequencies of nearby vibrating strings.
Watch the video and marvel at the charm and passion of Úlfur Hansson. I loved his ‘Earth’ T-shirt too. Already used by Björk in her Cornucopia project, the positive news of the segulharpa comes to us thanks to human ingenuity and creativity. And the often-underestimated gift of boredom.
These are my top two reports for the day, which left me with a smile on my face, and the motivation to write these words. They signify that this morning I spent a few minutes training my mind to search for and recognise the good and the hopeful, in the daily barrage that we face. The positive news is there, but it needs nurturing. Or, more accurately, we need to nurture our internal ability to overcome the negativity bias that served our ancestors so well, but that is quick to drown us in doom and sadness and paralysis if not countered.
There are sometimes good reasons for ignoring the news. As David Mitchell has written, so much of it nowadays is “a decontextualised screech that monetises its ability to catch our attention, but takes no responsibility for advancing our understanding or avoiding disproportionate damage to our peace of mind”.
I don’t deny that humanity is in deep trouble. I despair every day for what we have done to our home, this planet. But, the worse our situation, the more we need to cherish and grow the good. This is a pep talk I direct regularly at myself, to encourage a virtuous cycle that invigorates me to lift my head up to the sun, drop my shoulders and step more lightly out into the day. Whoever you are, and wherever you are, may it also help to lighten your load today.