You have captured the way I feel on many levels—the political one where I dread the battle to save our democracy and, more importantly for me, to honor the first anniversary of my wife’s death, by moving from the memories of her dying to the light of the happy memories of our 53 years together. What a combination!
When it comes to hope I think of Emily Dickinson’s poem on hope:
“Hope” is the thing with feathers -
That perches in the soul -
And sings the tune without the words -
And never stops - at all -
Some writers do inspire hope, some teachers, and even a few priests, pastors, and rabbis who are out there in the trenches living out their faith. Ultimately, hope is sought within, it is that thing with feathers, singing the tune that never stops. Listening to that tune, in the silence as I pray, reminds me that hope is alive within my soul.
I hope because I have to. The alternative is to give up, and I won't do that. I just choose to hope for the best in all aspects of life, and to pray for strength to endure when bad things happen in spite of my hope.
This is exactly what I needed to read this morning:
I know that personally, I have a myriad of reasons that propel me into days I’d prefer not to walk into and into years I’m fully dreading, like the one we’ve just begun:
my desire to leave a more compassionate planet for my children,
my fierce love for vulnerable people,
my shaken but still present belief in the basic decency of most human beings,
the knowledge that all evil empires fall,
the defiant joy that refuses to allow a small group of sociopaths I’ll never meet to define my existence or control my happiness.
It defines both all the things I've been concentrating on as to why going into this new year is something I dread, and at the same time, reminds me of what I have to do for myself. This set of phrases also defines what I believe in my core but haven't been able to bring myself to practice just yet. As always, thank you for putting into words where I need to go from here.
Carol O, I want to add on to your last bit here: “Grant me the serenity to accept things I cannot change”. I want to add something I’ve learned: And the Wisdom to use my agency each day to make actions big and small to affirm Kindness, Courage, and Justice in my sphere of family, friends, and community. Action is my antidote to despair. Hope is adding my small flame to others’ small flames. And doing the next good thing in front of me. Thank You. John for adding yours here for us.
I, too, have tended to look outside myself for inspiration like the feeling of hope. I'm working on changing that. I find tremendous hope in recognizing the things I can change, finding the small spaces where I can contribute.
"So, in our own work we need to come to understand how important these concepts of winning and losing are to what is about to happen. In opposition, we need to take, celebrate and build on the “wins” when they come. We cannot be perpetually disappointed, somehow turn our wins into losses or dwell on the “weakness” of our side. We are going to lose more than we will win next year, and we have to become psychologically and emotionally prepared for this. The best way to do so, in my mind, is to take and celebrate the wins when they come for when we win in Trump 2.0 we are strong and he is weak. And weakness is the kryptonite of all strongmen.
"We’ve had early, important wins these last few weeks and he has a series of repeated, almost shocking losses -"
And the author goes on to list losses and weaknesses that provide guidance for effective resistance to strongman authoritarianism. This guidance gives me a rational basis for hope.
Actually emotions, including hope, do happen to us and with us and each other. Emotions are simply energy sources that we get to name and claim as well as pass on to others, sometimes intentionally and sometimes unintentionally. We are connected in this journey and we can receive and give hope to others. Your statements express your personal lived experience rather than solid psychological principles. I honor your lived experience but do not own or believe what you have expressed in this piece about how the dynamics of hope (or any emotion for that matter) work. As a psychologist, I know this to be true and although my patients had to do the work, my job was to support and help shape that emotional journey which often meant providing hope.
As a Black/Latina woman without naming and claiming hope as an energy source I do not know where I would be. I stand on the hope of our ancestors who, as poet and author Clint Smith describes it, were chipping away at a wall that they had no assurance they would ever see what was behind it. They did so with hope that the next generation would have a better life. So, I keep chipping. Dust myself off, chip and repeat. There are millions chipping with me and that gives me hope and strength to keep chipping.
Hope is an emotion and a choice. I encourage you to choose hope and not conflate authenticity with the experience of emotional energy. It is your right and a gift to let us know that you cannot provide hope to your readers at this time. It is our choice to accept that and not place that responsibility on you. I do so with gratitude for the gift of hope that you have provided so many of us in the past...and I do hope and pray that your hope is fully restored.
Thanks for eloquently putting into words what I thought Deborah. We are all participating in this dance together. Let’s think about our responsibility to each other and to life and do what little chipping we can do to raise the frequency when we are able to.
Hope is reading small success stories no matter how small, reading plans of how to voice our opinions, continuing to know about legislation we need to act on calling/emailing our reps in Congress...........John, Without hope for keeping democracy why are we here?
I agree that hope is an inside job. That is why I choose to live as authentically as I am able. Authenticity is the building block in how I am approaching life in 2025!
Not sugarcoating the dire situation we face and not blowing smoke up our a$$ is appreciated. You validate my worry and despair about the shitstorm to come. I know that I am not alone, and that is what helps me put one foot in front of the other. I will continue to look for light and positivity every day… even if it’s in the smallest of things. All I ask from you is that you keep doing what you’re doing… your “authenticity and honesty in real-time” provide my sanity a lifeline.
I have recently thought of “hope” as one more way to deny reality. With our minds on hope we can pretend to not see reality. Then reality grows without accountability. All of a sudden we are facing 2025!
Two things can be true at one time. Hope helps balance the search to stay informed lest that search becomes a demonizing and negative force against us, which then becomes unhealthy. We can have some depressing thoughts, but ever remain hopeful just like you wrote!
You have captured the way I feel on many levels—the political one where I dread the battle to save our democracy and, more importantly for me, to honor the first anniversary of my wife’s death, by moving from the memories of her dying to the light of the happy memories of our 53 years together. What a combination!
I choose hope bc the alternative is unacceptable.
When it comes to hope I think of Emily Dickinson’s poem on hope:
“Hope” is the thing with feathers -
That perches in the soul -
And sings the tune without the words -
And never stops - at all -
Some writers do inspire hope, some teachers, and even a few priests, pastors, and rabbis who are out there in the trenches living out their faith. Ultimately, hope is sought within, it is that thing with feathers, singing the tune that never stops. Listening to that tune, in the silence as I pray, reminds me that hope is alive within my soul.
I hope because I have to. The alternative is to give up, and I won't do that. I just choose to hope for the best in all aspects of life, and to pray for strength to endure when bad things happen in spite of my hope.
Because we are united against the darkness that is maga.
To paraphrase Christopher Robin:
"...We are braver than we believe, and stronger than we seem, and smarter than we think."
This is exactly what I needed to read this morning:
I know that personally, I have a myriad of reasons that propel me into days I’d prefer not to walk into and into years I’m fully dreading, like the one we’ve just begun:
my desire to leave a more compassionate planet for my children,
my fierce love for vulnerable people,
my shaken but still present belief in the basic decency of most human beings,
the knowledge that all evil empires fall,
the defiant joy that refuses to allow a small group of sociopaths I’ll never meet to define my existence or control my happiness.
It defines both all the things I've been concentrating on as to why going into this new year is something I dread, and at the same time, reminds me of what I have to do for myself. This set of phrases also defines what I believe in my core but haven't been able to bring myself to practice just yet. As always, thank you for putting into words where I need to go from here.
Your essay reminded me of my own strength… and the powerful strength of those I love. Thank you again.
Always a good reminder..
I tend to look outside myself
the answers are here,
with me
from years of imprinting
Keep Hope Alive
This inside job
Grants me the serenity
To accept
Things I cannot change
Carol O, I want to add on to your last bit here: “Grant me the serenity to accept things I cannot change”. I want to add something I’ve learned: And the Wisdom to use my agency each day to make actions big and small to affirm Kindness, Courage, and Justice in my sphere of family, friends, and community. Action is my antidote to despair. Hope is adding my small flame to others’ small flames. And doing the next good thing in front of me. Thank You. John for adding yours here for us.
I, too, have tended to look outside myself for inspiration like the feeling of hope. I'm working on changing that. I find tremendous hope in recognizing the things I can change, finding the small spaces where I can contribute.
Rebecca Solnit's Hope in the Dark and her other writings are reasons I can continually choose hope. Highly recommended.
Also this, from yesterday, speaks directly to the objective facts of where we are and what is coming. I found this helpful:
https://open.substack.com/pub/simonwdc/p/happy-new-year-all-in-2025-lets-take
Excerpt, to give a taste:
"So, in our own work we need to come to understand how important these concepts of winning and losing are to what is about to happen. In opposition, we need to take, celebrate and build on the “wins” when they come. We cannot be perpetually disappointed, somehow turn our wins into losses or dwell on the “weakness” of our side. We are going to lose more than we will win next year, and we have to become psychologically and emotionally prepared for this. The best way to do so, in my mind, is to take and celebrate the wins when they come for when we win in Trump 2.0 we are strong and he is weak. And weakness is the kryptonite of all strongmen.
"We’ve had early, important wins these last few weeks and he has a series of repeated, almost shocking losses -"
And the author goes on to list losses and weaknesses that provide guidance for effective resistance to strongman authoritarianism. This guidance gives me a rational basis for hope.
Actually emotions, including hope, do happen to us and with us and each other. Emotions are simply energy sources that we get to name and claim as well as pass on to others, sometimes intentionally and sometimes unintentionally. We are connected in this journey and we can receive and give hope to others. Your statements express your personal lived experience rather than solid psychological principles. I honor your lived experience but do not own or believe what you have expressed in this piece about how the dynamics of hope (or any emotion for that matter) work. As a psychologist, I know this to be true and although my patients had to do the work, my job was to support and help shape that emotional journey which often meant providing hope.
As a Black/Latina woman without naming and claiming hope as an energy source I do not know where I would be. I stand on the hope of our ancestors who, as poet and author Clint Smith describes it, were chipping away at a wall that they had no assurance they would ever see what was behind it. They did so with hope that the next generation would have a better life. So, I keep chipping. Dust myself off, chip and repeat. There are millions chipping with me and that gives me hope and strength to keep chipping.
Hope is an emotion and a choice. I encourage you to choose hope and not conflate authenticity with the experience of emotional energy. It is your right and a gift to let us know that you cannot provide hope to your readers at this time. It is our choice to accept that and not place that responsibility on you. I do so with gratitude for the gift of hope that you have provided so many of us in the past...and I do hope and pray that your hope is fully restored.
Thanks for eloquently putting into words what I thought Deborah. We are all participating in this dance together. Let’s think about our responsibility to each other and to life and do what little chipping we can do to raise the frequency when we are able to.
I wouldn't be able to get out bed and start another day without chippers like you. Thanks Tee Ree!
Beautifully stated, Deborah. Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you, John. Appreciate your honesty, authenticity, vulnerability, gentleness, and wisdom.
Years ago, shortly after 9/11, I set Romans 15:13 to music as a Prayer and Benediction for my choir:
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”
It is my prayer for all of us 🙏🤗
Hope is reading small success stories no matter how small, reading plans of how to voice our opinions, continuing to know about legislation we need to act on calling/emailing our reps in Congress...........John, Without hope for keeping democracy why are we here?
I agree that hope is an inside job. That is why I choose to live as authentically as I am able. Authenticity is the building block in how I am approaching life in 2025!
Hope is the only alternative right now.
Not sugarcoating the dire situation we face and not blowing smoke up our a$$ is appreciated. You validate my worry and despair about the shitstorm to come. I know that I am not alone, and that is what helps me put one foot in front of the other. I will continue to look for light and positivity every day… even if it’s in the smallest of things. All I ask from you is that you keep doing what you’re doing… your “authenticity and honesty in real-time” provide my sanity a lifeline.
I have recently thought of “hope” as one more way to deny reality. With our minds on hope we can pretend to not see reality. Then reality grows without accountability. All of a sudden we are facing 2025!
Boy am I depressed…… but hopeful!🤪🌈🎶🌏
Two things can be true at one time. Hope helps balance the search to stay informed lest that search becomes a demonizing and negative force against us, which then becomes unhealthy. We can have some depressing thoughts, but ever remain hopeful just like you wrote!