“The more I get to know people, the more I love my dog,” goes one wryly cynical saying of that author’s view of humanity.

 

As we look through the news each day, we may find ourselves tempted to go that route and figure the whole world is “going to hell in a handbasket” as another saying goes.

 

We may even question if God could possibly love human beings since we don’t have to make headlines in order to do things rooted in selfishness. 

 

The few positive stories that some newscasts feature once in a while — probably to keep their broadcasts attractive in spite of all the worldly nastiness — aren’t enough to begin to balance out the bad reports.

 

“How can God care about such a pathetic world filled to the brim with such horrible people?” we may ask.

 

A friend recently shared of the recent death of one of his college teachers who was one of the children featured in the “Up” documentary series. This brilliant British series began in the early 1960s with interviews and life glimpses of a group of 7-year-old kids from various social groups. Seven years later, they produced “14-Up” and seven years later, “21-Up.” And every seven years since, they’ve interviewed these ordinary people, with “63-Up” as the latest episode.

 

It is fascinating to watch the evolution of these men and women as they grow and learn and suffer, and gain and lose in life. A few have stuck out for me over the years.

 

One woman grew from a 21-year-old jittery and anxious chain-smoker to a peaceful 28-year-old who had married and then glowed with a peaceful happiness. It was awesome to see such a wonderful change in someone’s life.

 

One man developed a mental illness as a teen and has heroically striven to make a positive difference in the world in spite of his struggles and times of inner and outer isolation. His accomplishments and growth mean so much and give hope.

 

Another firmly decided that he would be the opposite of his father and be present and available and loving toward his children — only to experience divorce and much separation from them. A snippet from “63-Up” has him saying how important it is to know oneself, admitting he finally felt he knew who he was once he reached age 60. In him we realize how plans can be derailed, but people go on with what they are given.

 

One of the men ceased being interviewed at about the “35-Up” point. Another backed out one time, then agreed to later interviews, saying that he could see the historic value of such an effort. They all have been amazingly open as they describe their lives, and from watching them, one can see how they have been transformed in wisdom and humor and acceptance. 

 

In the 63-Up trailer, the eyes of one of the men and of one of the women twinkle as they each note in their interviews that there is more to come up ahead! It was refreshing to see that hope for a bright future as they age.

 

Perhaps the overarching takeaway from the series is the basic goodness of people: ordinary people who live life as best as they can through all that life throws their way. They fall and rise, believe and don’t believe and believe again, ponder and gain insights only to ponder again when things change.

 

Most of them live in England and have a variety of career paths and family structures and situations, and yet their stories are everyone’s stories — both at this point in time and probably also throughout history. There’s is a universal human experience — with many variations but still, somehow, common to all.

 

It is beautiful to watch the growth in each person, knowing that if each of them was replaced by each of us, similar results, with different details, would be evident.

 

We may surmise that God indeed can love us as He watches us grow, fall, rise and change, with better outcomes whenever we let Him help us. When God “saw that it was good” during creation, that included all of us — especially the ordinary, often invisible and passed-by people. Regular people in everyday life.

 

Perhaps that basic goodness is what God sees in us and is why He continues to hang in there with us and still believes in us.

 

Ordinary lives do count, and they can outshine the darker dramas.