This was the week that the whole country was forced to admit what Nutmeggers have been saying for years: Connecticut is the center of the basketball universe. The first-ever twin championships of the UConn men’s and women’s basketball teams on Monday and Tuesday nights secured for Connecticut an enduring place in basketball lore. In this state people go around talking about Emeka, Diana, Ben, Maria… as if they were part of the family — a very proud family.

This was also the week that Newtown was truly astonished and delighted with the talents and skills of the students in Newtown High School’s performing arts program as nearly 100 cast members and a like number of production crew members and musicians produced four sold-out shows of the classic Broadway musical Les Misérables. People were truly moved by the experience; they had gone to see a school play and were treated to a production of such precision and professionalism that many seasoned theater buffs said later that Broadway had been outdone. The whole town was talking like a very proud family.

There is something beneficial about taking pride in the accomplishments of others, which may explain why it feels so good. Like it or not, this is a polarized world, and too often in the pursuit of self-interest and small advantage, we view the success of others as a setback for ourselves in business, in politics — even out there on the highway. The resulting resentment shades our outlook, clouds our judgments, and dims the prospects for our own success. We become complainers and agents of negativity — traits not known for their life-enhancing, world-improving effects.

So bring on the bad news, the $40 fill-ups, and the April snow showers. This week, life is pretty good. We cut down the nets in San Antonio and New Orleans, and we witnessed the triumph of the human spirit over tyranny at the barricades on the Newtown High School stage. This week, we have no complaints.