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Hope Always Has the Last Word
“Hope sees the invisible, feels the intangible, and achieves the impossible.”
—Helen Keller
“Hope and change are hard fought things.”
—Michelle Obama
As the sweltering hot days of summer recede, we may be starting to notice cooler breezes, dried, crumpled leaves on the ground, and (perhaps) migrating hawks soaring across the blue skies high above.
A few questions to ponder as we move into this rapidly changing landscape:
How do we address the systemic social injustices in our communities? How do we protect this beautiful planet? How do we ensure future generations of children have clean air and clean water so they can enjoy the simple, carefree pleasures of the natural world?
There is a lot going on in our world right now. It can be discouraging to see hatred, violence, and injustice toward our fellow humans, along with a blatant disregard of the health and safety of our friends and family during a pandemic. It can also be disheartening to find empty plastic water bottles and other garbage littering our beaches, oceans, rivers, parks, and neighborhoods.
In these formidable times, I remind myself that throughout history there have been people who angrily supported the status quo—despite horrific brutality toward their fellow humans and despite devastation to the earth’s natural habitats. At the same time, there have also been many brave individuals who engaged in compassionate acts of human decency in the midst of great upheavals, standing against injustice even during threats to their own safety.
Every generation must face the challenges that arise in their lifetime: situations that test the courage, grit, and moral convictions of our species.
During such trials, we need individuals (and organizations) willing to move the struggle for our collective wellbeing forward. We need people with a vision for advancing our civilization in an egalitarian direction. We need people who are committed to art, culture, diversity, education, science, health, the environment, and justice. We need people who care.
We are at such a crossroads now, facing a choice between progress for the planet’s future or a continued downward spiral of hatred against people who are different from ourselves and the ongoing destruction of our earth home. Which direction will we head?
Meeting society’s challenges is never about ourselves alone. On the contrary, it requires the combined efforts of each person doing the difficult daily work of creating positive change for our communities—while never giving up hope and always holding tight the vision of brighter days ahead.
Our choices will determine our future.
Our hope and our vision for a better world will make it happen.
Peace & Love,
Diana Ensign
The Freedom To Be: Stories from Trans Youth, Adults, and Their Families
You have articulated the threats and the solution exceedingly well . Yes, to effect the changes our endangered democracy desperately needs, it is incumbent upon us to make the right choices.
Thanks Joann. Fortunately, there are lots of people doing the work of speaking out for justice, standing up for the welfare of others, and doing the work of protecting our environment. We need policies that support those efforts (rather than undermining them) and elected representatives who serve the public good. Our democracy needs all of us!
Thank you for your message. We have faced so many challenges throughout history… many are heartbreaking. Today, we are facing an escalation of challenges on so many different fronts. I pray we can move in the right direction.
Yes, Sheilah, I believe when we deeply care about people and when we want to protect our environment, we make choices that lead us along a healthier path. ? Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Be well. Love, Diana ?