Man Gives a Brilliant Positive Spin on 2016

Between all the celebrity deaths and controversial election results, it is hard to escape the pessimistic view on social media that 2016 was a bad year. But a 32-year-old man from Birmingham, U.K. is reminding the world that there were numerous events to be proud of in 2016.

On December 24, Matt Strange posted a message to Facebook detailing 29 incredibly positive — but largely unrecognized — events of 2016. As of Friday, his post received over 109,000 likes.

“I just lost my temper at all of my friends being in this circle of competitive misery and complaining but not doing anything, and just reveling in their own exaggerated sadness,” Strange wrote to Your Daily Dish.

Strange highlighted the amazing medical achievements during the past year — including the creation of the Ebola vaccine, a decrease in the global child mortality rate and measles being eradicated in the Americas.

“Good [stuff] is happening, learn it, support it, be part of it,” Strange wrote on Facebook.

He also listed some of the major environmental successes of 2016, such as the ozone layer repairing itself, volunteers in India planting 50 million trees in 24 hours, Norway banning deforestation, and giant pandas no longer being endangered.

According to Elite Daily, there were a few facts that Strange may have misrepresented in his post, such as no evidence supporting his claim that global suicide rates decreased. However, he was correct with most of his statements, including some well-known events of 2016 like Leonardo DiCaprio finally winning an Oscar and a solar plane completing a global trip.

Strange also has some resolutions for 2017.

“I’m just going to try to be a bit better, as a person, and get more involved in being the solution and not the problem,” he wrote to Your Daily Dish.

In the end, 2016 was an exceptional year. And if you still think 2016 was a bad year, then get ready for 2017.