Reject Cynicism, Defy Apathy, Celebrate Good

There is only one thing I’ve ever considered doing with my life, and this is it. You’re reading it. Bittersweet-a collective story that I hope will age and mature as a healing and hope-building narrative for all who feel at least moderately overwhelmed by (and numb to) the deluge of issues in our modern world.

We offer no advertising. No gimmicks. No prompts or promises of grandeur if you sign up for our newsletter, though you’re welcome to. The Bittersweet narrative has been building for a decade, deepening and expanding every year as our readers send us their story nominations and our contributors conscientiously invest themselves.

This work is driven by a simple agenda: Reject cynicism, defy apathy, and celebrate good. We seek to offer an orienting narrative that counters confusion with clarity and despair with hope. We honor questions with the humility of space, presence and curiosity-practicing active listening with a posture of intentioned openness.

We travel, visit, listen, and write. Through film and photography, we study and reflect. Each story in the Bittersweet collection is crafted with utmost respect for the individuals, cultures, and geographies involved. Our aim is to elevate the stories of those who model abundant life and learn from them. Perhaps not surprisingly, this tends to lead us to remote places. Our interviews are very rarely with familiar names, rather we find ourselves drawn in by the influence that comes from many years living out an enduring concern for ‘the other,’ whomever that might be.

While many other media groups focus on 24/7 content spanning urgent crises to the shallow sensational, Bittersweet studies and seeks the wisdom gleaned from enduring kindness expressed in the wildest places. And a part of me wonders if, as a culture, we might grow into the stories we tell.