I am constantly (feeling) stuck by cynicism, in that I want truth, regardless of negativity, but I also don't want to be so negative all the time. How does one engage in dark/uncomfortable truths and still find goodness. How does we navigate the nastiness of society, without it taking over our bias?

Americans (and non-Americans too, yall can come help) don't engage heavily enough with just how propagandized our nation is. All through the 80s and 90s, schools taught blatant lies. Flat out lies that most of the culture never unlearned. So much of what we're go through now is directly cause of it.