Activist Mariame Kaba has said that hope is a discipline. “I always tell people, for me, hope doesn’t preclude feeling sadness or frustration or anger or any other emotion that makes total sense. Hope isn’t an emotion, you know? Hope is not optimism.”
Hope is not blind faith that snuffs out negative emotions or thoughts. Hope is what keeps us going; we need it to survive. Maybe that’s why you’re more likely to find hope in those whose circumstances seem so bleak. Hope is an ongoing practice. It isn’t necessarily impacted by outside influences.
I think about hope a lot. Unfortunately for people my age, there are a lot of outside influences that could snuff it out. Every era has had difficult circumstances: recessions, political strife, illnesses, wars. But we’re simultaneously dealing with a global pandemic that impacts every person, activity and economy; a skyrocketing cost of living and stagnant wages; many industries/careers being gutted; the housing market becoming completely unaffordable; and the effects of climate change, which could quite literally be the end of the world.
This is all happening while people my age could be starting families and embarking on exciting career paths. Many are unable to do the latter because of the high cost of living and lack of opportunities in certain fields; some are unable or scared to start a family due to climate change and financial circumstances.
But, my friends are still having children- or at least one child. They’re still figuring out how they can carve out a bit of happiness with what they have and with the hand we’ve all been dealt. They’re practicing hope.
There’s an idea in psychology that taking action on an issue that you’re passionate about is good for your mental health. It’s a small piece in the pie that makes up a well-balanced and happy psyche. This might look like volunteering with a nonprofit, or with a politician or political party who you think will make positive change in your community. Or it might look like you taking the lead to make a difference in your community, perhaps by starting a community garden or a community group that makes people feel supported and less alone. Action can help spread seeds of hope.
In Rebecca Solnit’s book, “Hope in the Dark”, she writes: “Hope just means another world might be possible, not promised, not guaranteed. Hope calls for action; action is impossible without hope.”
If you feel your hope in humanity is being tried, I recommend that book, as well as another book of hers called “A Paradise Built in Hell: The Extraordinary Communities That Arise in Disaster”. The data in that book will show you that when humans are put in terrible circumstances, they rise to the occasion and do amazing things for each other.
The latter book contains stories of people who missed the camaraderie and sense of community and purpose that came with dealing with the aftermath of a disaster. They felt more hope in that time than they did in their ordinary lives. Hope can arise in the most unlikely places.
There are other simple ways to cultivate hope, in addition to taking action in your community: nurture something (plants, a pet), and spend time with loved ones. This will nourish your soul and remind you of the goodness in life.
Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all
— Emily Dickinson