At this point I would like to examine the word hope. The word hope has become a beleaguered entity. It has become romanticized, glorified, abused, overused, or abandoned, left breathless on the ground, like a bird hit by a car. It has been compared to, then made the equal to, optimism. But as Vaclav Havel says, “Hope is not optimism. It is not the belief that things will turn out right, or even well. Hope is a state of mind.”
These words inspired me to hold the word hope in my hands and give it mouth to mouth resuscitation. For hope can light the way from the depths of despair; it can be light in the dark. We can feel it lift our spirits and help lead us to action as it takes its first new breaths and flaps its wings.
But this you might say is the exact romantic romanticizing that destroyed hope to start with. And if that is where your head is at then I say to you, there is a motivational energy at the depths of despair. This energy moves us into action and can be clothed in other words.
Looking at despair and letting it settle takes time. Looking at devastation and letting it settle takes time. Looking at suffering and letting it settle takes time. When you reach the depths of anger, frustration, and fear, and are tired of shutting down, if you let it, your heart opens. It opens to the realization of our dire situation. There is an impulse buried deep in that dark chaos. We might call that impulse hope, or we might call that impulse self-realization or self-respect or moral responsibility.
Looking moral responsibility in the face and not turning away is an incredibly empowering act. It begs the question who are we; who am I? What kind of person am I? Will I cower or will I engage? To answer these questions with physical movement, to engage, is to become a whole person.
Whole people act on their truths. Whole people act from the depths of their hearts. This impulse, this energy moving us out into the world and act comes from the depths of our hearts. It comes from the deep connection we have with the living world: the birds, the flowers, the trees, our children, our parents and our friends, no matter what species they might be. We come to understand that hope has many names. Hope is love. Hope is energy. Hope is realization. Hope is a state of mind. Hope is action. Hope is taking responsibility.
The problem with hope, in the past, is that it has been expressed as an empty gesture. It was not paired with action. It was just a desire for good things to come, despite inaction. Hope can live again if it is paired with action.
I hope I will see you on the streets and at a meeting.
