The every day business of business. Old stores replaced by new. Clever ways people help their neighbors. Grassroots organizing despite the pandemic negativity still pulling on our collective optimism. Roads being repaired. Trash pickups on schedule. Friendly greetings in stores, medical offices, and on the streets. Humans will be human.
My fellow Americans as North Carolinians knocking on doors every week to encourage voters to vote! Making freedom real literally one voter at a time with the determination of destination in an election day victory that builds Democracy! Thank you for asking.
My two granddaughters, ages 4 yrs 10 months and 13 months. Especially Lila, the older one. She's so smart and so kind and considerate. At 70, I may not live to see her (and very likely her sister) grow into strong wonderful women who will make a difference, but given the character traits of my son and daughter in law, I am certain they will.
I share Mary Trump's sentiments, and lean on the knowledge that so many of us are reaching for ways to live--truly live--the American dream. I also appreciate the kind of observations of the resiliency of your family members--both of which are full of a kind of fundamental faith and soul. To add to this I will point at the emergence of new lines of thinking in our party, as evidenced by the campaigns of Mamdani, El-Sayed and others like Jon Ossoff whose credentials are more traditional, but no less passionate about changing what needs to be changed. Finally, I offer you this, which I just discovered via a docu-drama about the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over the village of Lockerbie in Scotland. It seems like yesterday to me, but it actually took place during the Reagan and Bush I administrations! The simple, ordinary acts of kindness to the bereaved offered by the people of that village, the principled determination and refusal to accept easy answers shown by the international investigators pursuing the bomber were bracing, inspiring and made me weep to remember than the fundaments of our individual and collective humanity are the most valuable assets at our disposal as we work toward the fulfillment of our deepest ideals. Gracias for your sterling and right on the money efforts on our behalf.
My grandchild, and her young friends at 5 years old… watching them play and interact. And seeing them make old discoveries anew. I love it when she says, “Can I tell you something, Pop-Pop?” And then proceeds to share her most recent observations.
And then I know, that despite all the craziness, “the universe is unfolding as it should.”
1- I think the majority of Americans (if the polls are accurate) have finally awaken from their Trump Comas & realize that he & his fellow MAGA/GOP are. only interested in power & profit & do not give a damn about the rest of US
Now all they must do is vote in the biggest turnout in history
2- My 6 grandkids ages 5-23-It's their future & they are smart, savvy, politically aware & know the GOP & Corporate Media are 100% corrupt
They see the utter hypocrisy & corruption of the Trump Regime & GOP & how not one of them stands up for the Rule of Law of the US Constitution
My granddaughters are appalled as Trump calls female reporters names while their fellow "journalists" remain silent
I will continue to fight for them to leave them a better, kinder, more decent & loving America
Just plain gratitude for the every day things that I took for granted feeds my hope. Clean water, food, trees, plants, sky, the smile of a stranger, the smile of a loved one. A shared joke…a shared meal…a silent witness to grace and care and empathy. The person before me holding the door open and me holding the door open for the person behind me and so on. Putting away a grocery cart for a struggling senior and making eye contact with the few remaining checkout people. Hope can never die when we have all those glorious things! And yes, even the smallest things are glorious. Donald Trump can jump in the lake that he destroyed. He can lie and cheat and swear and blame and windbag his way through life, but he can never steal my joy!!!
To be totally honest, in response to "What Gives You Hope?" my answer at this point is not much.
I guess the biggest thing is that I am blessed at 76 years old to wake up each morning with truly meaningful work to do and the ability to do it. I am deeply grateful for this, having been in a devastating accident in 1989, and having been so severely injured that I was not expected to survive. To give you an idea, I had so much internal bleeding that it took 28 transfusions to keep me alive for the first week in hospital. (The head of my trauma team made the decision that it was too risky to try and do the surgeries to stop the bleeding completely and that my chances were better if they just kept adding blood, so that's what they did.)
So here I am 37 years later, and doing really well. I am profoundly grateful.
But that is different than having hope.
When I look around and observe what is happening in this world, and how it seems that a bunch of truly evil people hold the majority of economic and political power, as well as even "social power" - they control the narrative for the most part, I do not see a lot of reasons for hope.
Just looking in this country, approximately 77 million people voted for a sociopath with narcissistic personality disorder, and far too many of them still support his evil ass. That does not lead me to feel hopeful, nor to assess that there are good reasons for hope. He and the movement that he is the "face of" (or should I say "ass of"), have created so much violence, harm, and chaos in this country and around the world, that my heart and soul cry out for a way to try and help stop the harm. I have not found one, yet. And no one else seems to have, either.
Once he is gone, (may he continue to gorge himself on fast food), we will be left with so much damage to try and repair that I am not sure it is even possible.
The best that I have come up with, so far, is to get up each and every day and stay present to gratitude for the gift of life and to support and partner as much as I can with those who are trying to make things better. I also try my best to spread compassion to those who are suffering.
That is the best that I have been able to come up with, so far. I am open to suggestions.
Oh, and for dealing with my own pain, that arises NOT from my own suffering, but rather from my empathy for those around me who are suffering and is triggered by my outrage at the injustice that is rife, I turn to art and music.
I have not been able to find a really good response
I find hope in new routines around my wellness. As a 64yr old woman who lost my health insurance at the end of last year I refuse to bemoan my situation by assigning fault. I am responsible for my health. If I spend any time blaming, I am falling into a mind groove that will corrupt my health—mentally and physically.
I find hope in small acts of kindness extended to me and in the acts that I do or observe in my neighborhood. Kindness that doesn’t act out on a public stage or call attention—simply done out of love and to protect and support those who are our most vulnerable. I can find ways to help.
And I refuse to watch the news for more than one hour per day. There are things I cannot change right now in our politics but more importantly, I will not permit it to change me or affect my personal journey of living an ordinary life with meaning.
Steve, I love that you ask this question. I feel like this exercise pulls us back from the edge of the abyss and helps us to regulate and to remind those who are feeling hopeless that there are still reasons to hope.
What gives me hope: Art. Poetry. Community. Activism. Community activism. My chosen family. My faith. Nature. The turning of the seasons. Sunlight. Comedy and laughter. The people with any measure of power who are fighting for our country. The few journalists left who have integrity and adhere to the Creed.
There is actually a lot that gives me hope, even now, because I look for it. I look for it like a flower turning toward the sun.
Mankind must remember that peace is not God’s gift to his creatures, it is our gift to each other. Without memory, our existence would be barren and opaque, like a prison cell into which no light penetrates; like a tomb which rejects the living. Memory will save humanity. Hope without memory is like memory without hope. As man cannot live without dreams, he cannot live without hope. If dreams reflect the past, hope summons the future. Faith is essential to rebellion, and that hope is possible beyond despair. The source of [Biblical Job's] hope was memory, as it must be ours. Because I remember, I despair. Because I remember, I have the duty to reject despair. I remember the killers, I remember the victims, even as I struggle to invent a thousand and one reasons to hope. Elie Wiesel; Nobel Lecture, December 11, 1986; Hope, despair and memory; https://tinyurl.com/n39nj729
I saw 6 12-13 year old boys riding bikes at a fast food place. They were laughing and talking to one another. They made me smile. They gave me hope.
The every day business of business. Old stores replaced by new. Clever ways people help their neighbors. Grassroots organizing despite the pandemic negativity still pulling on our collective optimism. Roads being repaired. Trash pickups on schedule. Friendly greetings in stores, medical offices, and on the streets. Humans will be human.
My fellow Americans as North Carolinians knocking on doors every week to encourage voters to vote! Making freedom real literally one voter at a time with the determination of destination in an election day victory that builds Democracy! Thank you for asking.
My two granddaughters, ages 4 yrs 10 months and 13 months. Especially Lila, the older one. She's so smart and so kind and considerate. At 70, I may not live to see her (and very likely her sister) grow into strong wonderful women who will make a difference, but given the character traits of my son and daughter in law, I am certain they will.
I share Mary Trump's sentiments, and lean on the knowledge that so many of us are reaching for ways to live--truly live--the American dream. I also appreciate the kind of observations of the resiliency of your family members--both of which are full of a kind of fundamental faith and soul. To add to this I will point at the emergence of new lines of thinking in our party, as evidenced by the campaigns of Mamdani, El-Sayed and others like Jon Ossoff whose credentials are more traditional, but no less passionate about changing what needs to be changed. Finally, I offer you this, which I just discovered via a docu-drama about the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over the village of Lockerbie in Scotland. It seems like yesterday to me, but it actually took place during the Reagan and Bush I administrations! The simple, ordinary acts of kindness to the bereaved offered by the people of that village, the principled determination and refusal to accept easy answers shown by the international investigators pursuing the bomber were bracing, inspiring and made me weep to remember than the fundaments of our individual and collective humanity are the most valuable assets at our disposal as we work toward the fulfillment of our deepest ideals. Gracias for your sterling and right on the money efforts on our behalf.
My grandchild, and her young friends at 5 years old… watching them play and interact. And seeing them make old discoveries anew. I love it when she says, “Can I tell you something, Pop-Pop?” And then proceeds to share her most recent observations.
And then I know, that despite all the craziness, “the universe is unfolding as it should.”
The footers for a new Habitat for Humanity house were poured yesterday.
Reading many comments from readers of this & other newsletters is hopeful seeing so many people engaged, paying attention
Two things
1- I think the majority of Americans (if the polls are accurate) have finally awaken from their Trump Comas & realize that he & his fellow MAGA/GOP are. only interested in power & profit & do not give a damn about the rest of US
Now all they must do is vote in the biggest turnout in history
2- My 6 grandkids ages 5-23-It's their future & they are smart, savvy, politically aware & know the GOP & Corporate Media are 100% corrupt
They see the utter hypocrisy & corruption of the Trump Regime & GOP & how not one of them stands up for the Rule of Law of the US Constitution
My granddaughters are appalled as Trump calls female reporters names while their fellow "journalists" remain silent
I will continue to fight for them to leave them a better, kinder, more decent & loving America
State and Federal courts, AGs, Grand Juries, and individuals who stand for the Constitution, the rule of law and compassion.
Absolutely!
Just plain gratitude for the every day things that I took for granted feeds my hope. Clean water, food, trees, plants, sky, the smile of a stranger, the smile of a loved one. A shared joke…a shared meal…a silent witness to grace and care and empathy. The person before me holding the door open and me holding the door open for the person behind me and so on. Putting away a grocery cart for a struggling senior and making eye contact with the few remaining checkout people. Hope can never die when we have all those glorious things! And yes, even the smallest things are glorious. Donald Trump can jump in the lake that he destroyed. He can lie and cheat and swear and blame and windbag his way through life, but he can never steal my joy!!!
To be totally honest, in response to "What Gives You Hope?" my answer at this point is not much.
I guess the biggest thing is that I am blessed at 76 years old to wake up each morning with truly meaningful work to do and the ability to do it. I am deeply grateful for this, having been in a devastating accident in 1989, and having been so severely injured that I was not expected to survive. To give you an idea, I had so much internal bleeding that it took 28 transfusions to keep me alive for the first week in hospital. (The head of my trauma team made the decision that it was too risky to try and do the surgeries to stop the bleeding completely and that my chances were better if they just kept adding blood, so that's what they did.)
So here I am 37 years later, and doing really well. I am profoundly grateful.
But that is different than having hope.
When I look around and observe what is happening in this world, and how it seems that a bunch of truly evil people hold the majority of economic and political power, as well as even "social power" - they control the narrative for the most part, I do not see a lot of reasons for hope.
Just looking in this country, approximately 77 million people voted for a sociopath with narcissistic personality disorder, and far too many of them still support his evil ass. That does not lead me to feel hopeful, nor to assess that there are good reasons for hope. He and the movement that he is the "face of" (or should I say "ass of"), have created so much violence, harm, and chaos in this country and around the world, that my heart and soul cry out for a way to try and help stop the harm. I have not found one, yet. And no one else seems to have, either.
Once he is gone, (may he continue to gorge himself on fast food), we will be left with so much damage to try and repair that I am not sure it is even possible.
The best that I have come up with, so far, is to get up each and every day and stay present to gratitude for the gift of life and to support and partner as much as I can with those who are trying to make things better. I also try my best to spread compassion to those who are suffering.
That is the best that I have been able to come up with, so far. I am open to suggestions.
Oh, and for dealing with my own pain, that arises NOT from my own suffering, but rather from my empathy for those around me who are suffering and is triggered by my outrage at the injustice that is rife, I turn to art and music.
I have not been able to find a really good response
Well said. Maintaining a sense of hope is really, really hard work, but it keeps me going.
The suffering around the world is OVERWHELMING, and I'm very sensitive to it.
I find hope in new routines around my wellness. As a 64yr old woman who lost my health insurance at the end of last year I refuse to bemoan my situation by assigning fault. I am responsible for my health. If I spend any time blaming, I am falling into a mind groove that will corrupt my health—mentally and physically.
I find hope in small acts of kindness extended to me and in the acts that I do or observe in my neighborhood. Kindness that doesn’t act out on a public stage or call attention—simply done out of love and to protect and support those who are our most vulnerable. I can find ways to help.
And I refuse to watch the news for more than one hour per day. There are things I cannot change right now in our politics but more importantly, I will not permit it to change me or affect my personal journey of living an ordinary life with meaning.
Steve, I love that you ask this question. I feel like this exercise pulls us back from the edge of the abyss and helps us to regulate and to remind those who are feeling hopeless that there are still reasons to hope.
What gives me hope: Art. Poetry. Community. Activism. Community activism. My chosen family. My faith. Nature. The turning of the seasons. Sunlight. Comedy and laughter. The people with any measure of power who are fighting for our country. The few journalists left who have integrity and adhere to the Creed.
There is actually a lot that gives me hope, even now, because I look for it. I look for it like a flower turning toward the sun.
Enjoy your weekend!
Wonderful independent writers like you, Steven give me hope! Which is why I gratefully support you and several others....
Mankind must remember that peace is not God’s gift to his creatures, it is our gift to each other. Without memory, our existence would be barren and opaque, like a prison cell into which no light penetrates; like a tomb which rejects the living. Memory will save humanity. Hope without memory is like memory without hope. As man cannot live without dreams, he cannot live without hope. If dreams reflect the past, hope summons the future. Faith is essential to rebellion, and that hope is possible beyond despair. The source of [Biblical Job's] hope was memory, as it must be ours. Because I remember, I despair. Because I remember, I have the duty to reject despair. I remember the killers, I remember the victims, even as I struggle to invent a thousand and one reasons to hope. Elie Wiesel; Nobel Lecture, December 11, 1986; Hope, despair and memory; https://tinyurl.com/n39nj729