Hope

Optimism is a strategy for making a better future. Because unless you believe that the future can be better, it’s unlikely you will step up and take responsibility for making it so. If you assume that there’s no hope, you guarantee that there will be no hope. If you assume that there is an instinct for freedom, there are opportunities to change things, there’s a chance you may contribute to making a better world. The choice is yours. Noam Chomsky

I am always conscious of hypocrisy and issues about saying stuff and not living it out myself: Trying to avoid the legalism of telling others how they should live and not doing it myself. However I am also aware of those doings things, assuming roles for which they lack either experience, knowledge, proficiency and most importance humility. Our problem is frequently that we think we can make the world a better place. We think we can solve the problem. The core problem is we place our hope within ourselves not recognizing our own weaknesses. One of the aphorisms in spirituality is 'knowledge of self is knowledge of God.'

Our trust in structures, institutions, programs and methods, and even each other constantly leads us into disappointment and even distrust. Perhaps it's not your experience, but I make no promises that I know I cannot keep and have the energy to carry through. I also make no promises for God - God will solve all your problems. Yes I believe he can but the promise say he will. There is a jump here, we need to be cautious when we claim to speak for God.

Reading Marva Dawn's book Joy in Our Weakness which is a study in Revelations I found her pointing to a moment where there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. (Rev 8:1)
I'd never noticed this before. "Silence is an important element of praise, thanksgiving, awe, fear, reverence, dread, repentance, anticipation, and prayer. In our busy lives, silence can deepen our intimacy with God." From this intimacy can come renewed and deepening hope. Our world is too noisy and too full of meaningless words. From silence and solitude can come the still small voice of reassurance and hope.

The freedom we should have is to choose a life with God, a spiritual life peppered or flavoured with hope. I baulk at saying 'filled with hope' because we can't actually achieve that in this life. We need hope that things might or will be better than they were, to move forwards. Of course this choice is not what Chomsky is referring to, but we have to move from being victim of the world, to the freedom of taking responsibility for each other. Loving our neighbor as ourselves.