Many Paths: It's time to resurrect hope
Hope seems to be hiding from public view. Did she get locked back in that mystical box, briefly opened by the mythical Pandora? Remember, it was Pandora’s shameful curiosity that unleashed all those "troubles" on the Children of Paradise.
Never had they previously experienced troubles of any kind. Although Pandora quickly shut that box tight again, the fateful deed had been done. Everyone blamed Pandora. Yet, remaining inside was that tiny, insistent voice, “Let me out! Let me out!”
Watching "America Reframed" and various documentaries on PBS regarding America’s shameful history of racism against people of color and different cultures, it’s easy to slide into the toxic mire of apathy, hatred, judgement and helplessness.
Rising revelations of Catholic clergy sexually abusing children and Catholic boarding schools snatching Native American children from their families is soul sickening. Yet as Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Truth crushed to earth will rise again.” If we’re to survive as a species, we must face emerging dark truths of our shared history, today’s rampant gun violence and rising climate crisis.
So, what is hope? For me it’s a spiritual power which, like faith and courage, must be ignited and developed. Jericho Brown, a Pulitzer Poetry winner and professor of creative writing, Jericho Brown, once said, "Hope is always accompanied by imagination and the will to believe what the world deems to be impossible. Only the creative mind can make use of it. Only creative people can wield it."
Active Hope is accompanied by a strong desire for what we long to see happen. What we do with this hope is what makes the difference. Active Hope ignites our journey into action. We become participants in the process of moving toward our hopes. Active Hope is a practice, like gardening, or tai chi; something we apply rather than have.
Passive Hope involves "hopefulness," where preferred options seem within the realm of possibility but depend on externa or events to change.
On Pentecost Sunday, our pastor encouraged us, “Dare to seek. Dare to dream big dreams. Dare to believe. Dare to act." We cannot afford to remain blind or deaf to what’s happening. We’re each here by divine appointment, for a powerful purpose.
Hebrews 6:18-19 insists Hope is a sure and steadfast anchor for the soul. Prayer will move mountains, yet it requires us to move toward that mountain.
Resurrect your hope. Let's make active hope happen.
Sallee Wade, RN, MSN has been a wellness educator and yoga instructor for over 25 years.
This article originally appeared on Galesburg Register-Mail: Many Paths: It's time to resurrect hope
