I've noticed something interesting in the novels I read. The heroes, heroines and protagonists in books never sit down and whine, no matter how bad things get. Even in a post-apocalypse world where food is scarce and everyone is starving, writers never write characters who dwell on their situation.
A protagonist in a book may wistfully think about a snickers bar when there's no food, but they'll never have felt so dejected as to sit in an abandoned supermarket with empty shelves, depressed and feeling sorry for themselves. Instead, the main characters are always on the move. They may feel sad about what they've lost but it never paralyses them to the point that it overwhelms their need for survival.
I can't help but think about how amazing that sort of attitude is. Of course, these are stories. Works of fiction and not real life. But what it DOES show is that writers don't write about heroes that whine, complain or feel sorry for themselves because it's simply not that interesting.
And there's a whole lot of truth in that for us - letting our fears paralyse us is not a very interesting life to lead. What IS interesting is the ability to move on and get ahead. To always have hope and to strive for the best. In that, we can decide to lead an interesting life, or be forgotten and lost.
