JOYFUL PIECE #32
Hopeful with a chance of clouds...
These are hopeful times for the media. Each day we are bombarded with click bait to take us to places of horror: totalitarianism threat in the US, border crises, Putin this or that, wars, famines...
Some would think that the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are ready to pounce on us.
But consider the 353,000 jobs that were added to the US Economy in January, 2024—the largest increase in a year, in spite of naysayers. Do you remember “It’s the economy, stupid!” that retired George H. W. Bush from office after Operation Desert Storm?
And the resilient resistance movement against the military dictatorship in Myanmar. We thought all was lost with the onslaught of the cruel military that stomped their democracy. But news of the demise of the people’s hope for freedom were premature.
And now Evangelicals are waking up to the fact that they are Christians before they are MAGAs. The compassionate message of the Gospel is actually beginning to crack the hard hearts of fundamentalists, driving self-analysis and kindness.
Hope is an energy builder. Despair drains energy. At this most crucial time in the history of United States and the world, can we afford to allow our vigor to be drained by the negativity of despair?
We must keep our eyes open to all that is happening. Throughout history we have been in transformation as individuals and as humanity. Does not the sun shine even behind storm clouds?
The strong economy coupled with the resilience of the people of Myanmar and the the incipient reformation of the Evangelicals are all very hopeful signs that call for our own resilience.
Turn off the negativity.
Hope does not guarantee immediate victory— despair guarantees sure defeat.
We have much cause to be joyful! And we have much work to do before the November election!
I am currently in Ukraine, volunteering to provide trauma support to civilians in recently de-occupied areas. After having experienced air raid sirens, and nights broken by nearby explosions, drones and anti-aircraft fire, I can barely wait to come back. I cannot imagine what two years of this has felt like -- having Russia attempting to wipe an entire country off the map. The stories I have heard are crushingly horrific. The people sharing them have the courage to share them and to continue finding ways to connect, support their families, encourage each other, and honor what is good and right with humanity. I am pretty sure that if US residents pull together just a little bit, we can get through an election, with an eye to building more humanity into our politics. We need to do this.
Solid piece as always. One key message everyone can do is vote and make your voice heard