Thank you, Robins, for inviting us all to leave a comment.
What gives me hope is looking at historical events and people who sacriiced so much to make social progress. I look at this through songs. There are so many songs about those people, their hardships but also their successes. That’s my Substack in a nutshell, but it’s also my real life. I regularly listen to the songs I write about simply because they give me hope, no matter where I am. x
This month I've been reading Emergent Strategy by adrienne maree brown. It's given me a sense of groundedness and hope. There are so many great ideas in there, but two particularly stand out:
-"what we pay attention to grows" (I've been paying attention to people's kindness as of late).
-she has a line about what if instead of building mile-wide/two-inch deep movements we created two-inch wide, mile-deep movements.
These are two ideas from the book I've been marinating on and they are giving me a lot of hope and meaning at the moment.
During my studies in Sustainable Practice I researched the science of hope. I share what I learnt in my (small!) substack, Solarpunk Thinking. I discovered that hope isn't a feeling, it's a way of thinking. It's a framework for action: https://solarpunkthinking.substack.com/p/eco-anxiety-paralyses-hope-empowers.
I'm glad, Robin. I "hope" you find this perspective useful. :) If you're interested, I drill a little deeper into optimism vs hope in another post. Understanding the difference has been helpful for me: https://solarpunkthinking.substack.com/p/optimism-vs-hope-in-2024.
For me, what gives me hope are the many small outcomes of my intentional actions. It's the little signs that say: yes, keep going, there's hope, you're doing it.
This is my small moment from just now that had me seek out this post again: my children (7,9) were looking at my screen where my name + pronouns are displayed and my daughter said "oh, you listed your preferred pronouns" which then resulted in a conversation about "preference" and that I prefer to say those ARE my pronouns. I asked her what hers were (even though I knew, not the first time I asked), and asked my son.
She then shared about a book she read (from the library) where a character used they/them pronouns.
That right there gives me hope. I know my parents didn't have these conversations with me at that age. And this isn't to say I'm doing it all perfectly and wonderful, but what gives me hope is the cumulative effect of all of the different conversations and actions we all are having.
Moments like this make things feel a but more tangible, and that gives me hope.
I learned a new word (maybe it is a term today), wilderglyphs. Just knowing this word gives me another perspective/way I can share outside/nature which gives me hope. I need to believe the good messages we are trying to share are valuable and purposeful. Being able to do that from a different angle = h o p e!
I work with non-profits...or I did until federal funding freezes pulled the rug out from everyone. Right now I'm recalibrating to small-dose hope. We need bite-sized hope. Snackified hope. We need little wins. I want to give everyone big-ass brand strategies. Instead, I'm focusing on little ways they can turn up the volume on their missions.
Please, if you can, donate to your favorite orgs right now. Send them $5. We need mini-hope. Microhope. Teeny-weeny-glimmers-hope.
I wrote a guest post for the publication REASONS FOR LIVING, and it centered on the emotions we all feel as human beings. There is a paragraph on hope that is my favorite one in the essay.
Robin, thank you for reading! And, full disclosure - my first draft I submitted to Esmé for the guest post had the essay ending with hope. It was her idea to begin it with hope, and I’m so glad she did that! :)
I find hope in my garden that continues to grow and flourish. The crocus are blooming and now the daffodils are beginning to greet me with their sunny optimism. I find hope in the sprightly bounces of my dog who never tires of play and cuddles. I find hope in laughter. Laughing releases endorphins and strengthens bonds between all those who can share that laughter. I find hope in my beloved Syrian neighbor, he is but 32 years old and has spent almost half his life battling cancer and fleeing civil war and prejudice in Turkey. Now he’s here and he’s one of the kindest, most open minded and loving humans I know.
Thank you Robin, that’s very kind. I find hope in writers offering words for each other. There is comfort in writing. There is solidarity and compassion. We must never underestimate the power of words (for good or evil).
I think and write about HOPE a lot! I am wired to want it. For me, the word carries possibility and a lightheartedness. I read a lot in the collapse space and always bristle when I am told we are post-hope or that it is just a dangerous delusion. So fascinating that different people have very different associations for the word. You can read my musing on hope or hopium here: https://open.substack.com/pub/sparkinthedark/p/hope-or-hopium?r=pna8j&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Three of my surrogate children (in their 30's) will be attending a seminar that is close to my heart ... together in Nairobi, Kenya next month. A city that my mother, Camille Cosby, and a friend visited in the 1970's. It was a camera safari and they had a great time. Good omen.
I'm passing the baton. Even if I don't see much being solved in my lifetime, perhaps after this seminar they'll be ready to conquer the world! All 3 want to come to the U.S. I'm preparing them for what's going on here, and they still want to come; it's their dream. They need to meet me in person. Who am I to rain on their parade with my cynicism? YOU GO, YOUNG PEOPLE!
Who do you think got them in there? Hahahahaha. I am picking up where their biological parents left them off. 😉 I'm not just hoping for them, I am pushing them to be the best version of themselves, no matter how much they whine. They keep coming back for more. 😂 They really do need their elders and my children love me dearly ... as I do them. Doesn't matter that I didn't born them onto this Earth. I am their father.
They don't know it, but there is a day I show up in the seminar too .... Sunday night. They get to tell me what happened for them. All of them! I'm so excited.
Hope is what I need a lot of right now. With the political atmosphere and indications of a recession combined with my forced retirement, I'm at a crossroads.
I started experimenting with Substack a year or so ago, and I've finally started to get a little traction. 140 subscribers. I haven't completely narrowed down my niche or personal platform yet but getting close.
I'm in a phase of seeking and discovering my new passion and purpose in life. I want to be a creator, but I seem to have hit a wall, gotten stuck, etc. Fear, I presume. Here's my link. If you have any ideas, I'm wide open. Thanks! https://eddieburns.substack.com
Eddie, congratulations on your 140 subscribers! Way to go! That's a big achievement, and it speaks volumes to your current approach to writing and sharing your voice. It can take some of us longer than others to figure out our niche, and sometimes that changes over time. My question to you is this--What would you write if you were utterly fearless?
It gives me hope to look at the people around me, both online and in real life. My friends and acquaintances (including here on Substack) are intelligent, empathetic, analytical, compassionate and understanding, and I see how these people are already causing positive changes, even in seemingly small ways.
I also feel hope when I look at Brazil, my home country! It's not perfect, but we've made tremendous progress in the past few years. Our justice system is working to punish those who took place in an antidemocratic attempted coup and to make sure that people like that can no longer occupy positions of power. Activist movements for women and LGBTQ rights keep getting stronger, and people are getting involved with their communities to protect each other and the natural environment. And in Belgium, where I live, it gives me hope to see how it has one of the most robust legislations in the world to protect animal welfare.
Books give me hope. I finished reading Robin Wall Kimmerer's SERVICEBERRY this weekend and it makes me imagine the ways a gift economy can happen. And last month I wrote about a small book that offered me hope about changing my ways in turbulent times. https://jillswenson.substack.com/p/balm-in-a-book
Thank you! Great idea to provide the link. You go GIFTING these gorgeous and powerful ideas and spread the word like seeds to bear fruit, Hanna. I'm still trying to change my ways and play a bigger role in reshaping the world in terms of mutuality and gratitude.
I love your words! Thank you for the encouragement. Also, I needed the reminder. I have been sitting on ideas around something I have an abundance of and how I can share that with others. “Life” has been getting in the way and probably silly ideas about doing the book justice, when in reality, I could simply start small. By the way - that word “bigger” stands out to me, too, in your reply. What’s one small seed you can plant now?
For me here on Substack I began a little more than a year ago embracing the idea of gifting my readers what I knew about the history of a special place. I don't have a paywall, but in an amazing demonstration of reciprocity there are a surprising number of subscribers who become "paid" patrons. And I consider every reader who gifts me their time spent on my newsletter a gift. Small steps add up.
Jill, thanks for sharing the book that gave you hope in Tara Penry's Hope Library project! I participated in that, too, and it was delightful. I'll have to take a look for Serviceberry, too. It sounds just right.
I have problems with the word hope as it alone, is not robust enough to get us through these troubled times. Hope also implies inaction and wishful thinking.
Lets be affirmative in our thoughts and actions and talk about what we do want and will do, not what we hope for…
Hope is always good to get a discussion going, thanks.
Pray, then like First Lady Michelle Obama said, "DO SOMETHING!" 😉
I'm not a praying man, but people always be praying for me & other people, places, and things. Sometimes it's a reason to do nothing at all ... for tons of people.
Susan, I'm glad you brought this up. I've seen others say similar things about hope, often from the lens of hope being about the future when we should probably pay attention to right now. I wonder if some of us have different perspectives that we label as "hope."
Like all words Robin, hope especially has many perspectives ..maybe if we used it as an active verb about what we are hoping for..it would show the actions that are needed. As always paying attention to right now and being present to all that is where our power lies.
The Corbett report @James Corbett has a some interesting post/perspectives on what he calls Hopium , in particular how it is used in politic’s..so “hope” can be weaponised as well as being full of grace….Hope might even be the most potent word in language .
Strangely, I never gave up hope that apartheid would end in South Africa, or that the Berlin Wall would fall. I'm usually a bit of an Eeyore - not naturally hopeful at all - so I don't know where that hope came from.
Thank you, Robins, for inviting us all to leave a comment.
What gives me hope is looking at historical events and people who sacriiced so much to make social progress. I look at this through songs. There are so many songs about those people, their hardships but also their successes. That’s my Substack in a nutshell, but it’s also my real life. I regularly listen to the songs I write about simply because they give me hope, no matter where I am. x
https://louisehaynes.substack.com
This month I've been reading Emergent Strategy by adrienne maree brown. It's given me a sense of groundedness and hope. There are so many great ideas in there, but two particularly stand out:
-"what we pay attention to grows" (I've been paying attention to people's kindness as of late).
-she has a line about what if instead of building mile-wide/two-inch deep movements we created two-inch wide, mile-deep movements.
These are two ideas from the book I've been marinating on and they are giving me a lot of hope and meaning at the moment.
And here's a link to the book in case people are curious: https://www.akpress.org/emergentstrategy.html
During my studies in Sustainable Practice I researched the science of hope. I share what I learnt in my (small!) substack, Solarpunk Thinking. I discovered that hope isn't a feeling, it's a way of thinking. It's a framework for action: https://solarpunkthinking.substack.com/p/eco-anxiety-paralyses-hope-empowers.
I really, really, really like the treatment of hope as a framework for action. Thank you, Vivienne!
I'm glad, Robin. I "hope" you find this perspective useful. :) If you're interested, I drill a little deeper into optimism vs hope in another post. Understanding the difference has been helpful for me: https://solarpunkthinking.substack.com/p/optimism-vs-hope-in-2024.
For me, what gives me hope are the many small outcomes of my intentional actions. It's the little signs that say: yes, keep going, there's hope, you're doing it.
This is my small moment from just now that had me seek out this post again: my children (7,9) were looking at my screen where my name + pronouns are displayed and my daughter said "oh, you listed your preferred pronouns" which then resulted in a conversation about "preference" and that I prefer to say those ARE my pronouns. I asked her what hers were (even though I knew, not the first time I asked), and asked my son.
She then shared about a book she read (from the library) where a character used they/them pronouns.
That right there gives me hope. I know my parents didn't have these conversations with me at that age. And this isn't to say I'm doing it all perfectly and wonderful, but what gives me hope is the cumulative effect of all of the different conversations and actions we all are having.
Moments like this make things feel a but more tangible, and that gives me hope.
The kids are all right, in large part thanks to kind parents like you. Beautiful story, Hanna!
Hanna, this warms my heart so much. You and your children are a gift of hope to me. Thank you. ❤️
I learned a new word (maybe it is a term today), wilderglyphs. Just knowing this word gives me another perspective/way I can share outside/nature which gives me hope. I need to believe the good messages we are trying to share are valuable and purposeful. Being able to do that from a different angle = h o p e!
Oooh, I am so glad that I now know a word like wilderglyphs exists.
I work with non-profits...or I did until federal funding freezes pulled the rug out from everyone. Right now I'm recalibrating to small-dose hope. We need bite-sized hope. Snackified hope. We need little wins. I want to give everyone big-ass brand strategies. Instead, I'm focusing on little ways they can turn up the volume on their missions.
Please, if you can, donate to your favorite orgs right now. Send them $5. We need mini-hope. Microhope. Teeny-weeny-glimmers-hope.
IT COUNTS.
Bite-sized hope -- yes, please! The teeny weeny glimmers get us through when big-ass hope feels out of reach.
I wrote a guest post for the publication REASONS FOR LIVING, and it centered on the emotions we all feel as human beings. There is a paragraph on hope that is my favorite one in the essay.
You can read it here: https://open.substack.com/pub/esmewwang/p/reason-for-living-7-witnessing-humanness?r=1vk6x&utm_medium=ios
We all need more hope these days. Love this thread! 💜
"We're still here." Damn, right! I also love that your essay begins with hope.
Robin, thank you for reading! And, full disclosure - my first draft I submitted to Esmé for the guest post had the essay ending with hope. It was her idea to begin it with hope, and I’m so glad she did that! :)
I find hope in my garden that continues to grow and flourish. The crocus are blooming and now the daffodils are beginning to greet me with their sunny optimism. I find hope in the sprightly bounces of my dog who never tires of play and cuddles. I find hope in laughter. Laughing releases endorphins and strengthens bonds between all those who can share that laughter. I find hope in my beloved Syrian neighbor, he is but 32 years old and has spent almost half his life battling cancer and fleeing civil war and prejudice in Turkey. Now he’s here and he’s one of the kindest, most open minded and loving humans I know.
I find hope in this post and your presence on SmallStack, Deb!
Thank you Robin, that’s very kind. I find hope in writers offering words for each other. There is comfort in writing. There is solidarity and compassion. We must never underestimate the power of words (for good or evil).
I think and write about HOPE a lot! I am wired to want it. For me, the word carries possibility and a lightheartedness. I read a lot in the collapse space and always bristle when I am told we are post-hope or that it is just a dangerous delusion. So fascinating that different people have very different associations for the word. You can read my musing on hope or hopium here: https://open.substack.com/pub/sparkinthedark/p/hope-or-hopium?r=pna8j&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Thank you for this little glimmer, Gillian!
You are welcome Robin! Thanks for saying hi :)
Three of my surrogate children (in their 30's) will be attending a seminar that is close to my heart ... together in Nairobi, Kenya next month. A city that my mother, Camille Cosby, and a friend visited in the 1970's. It was a camera safari and they had a great time. Good omen.
I'm passing the baton. Even if I don't see much being solved in my lifetime, perhaps after this seminar they'll be ready to conquer the world! All 3 want to come to the U.S. I'm preparing them for what's going on here, and they still want to come; it's their dream. They need to meet me in person. Who am I to rain on their parade with my cynicism? YOU GO, YOUNG PEOPLE!
Ray, I have hope in the younger generations, too. And I agree, they need us to guide them, to inspire them, and to cheer for them.
Who do you think got them in there? Hahahahaha. I am picking up where their biological parents left them off. 😉 I'm not just hoping for them, I am pushing them to be the best version of themselves, no matter how much they whine. They keep coming back for more. 😂 They really do need their elders and my children love me dearly ... as I do them. Doesn't matter that I didn't born them onto this Earth. I am their father.
They don't know it, but there is a day I show up in the seminar too .... Sunday night. They get to tell me what happened for them. All of them! I'm so excited.
Hope is what I need a lot of right now. With the political atmosphere and indications of a recession combined with my forced retirement, I'm at a crossroads.
I started experimenting with Substack a year or so ago, and I've finally started to get a little traction. 140 subscribers. I haven't completely narrowed down my niche or personal platform yet but getting close.
I'm in a phase of seeking and discovering my new passion and purpose in life. I want to be a creator, but I seem to have hit a wall, gotten stuck, etc. Fear, I presume. Here's my link. If you have any ideas, I'm wide open. Thanks! https://eddieburns.substack.com
Eddie, congratulations on your 140 subscribers! Way to go! That's a big achievement, and it speaks volumes to your current approach to writing and sharing your voice. It can take some of us longer than others to figure out our niche, and sometimes that changes over time. My question to you is this--What would you write if you were utterly fearless?
It gives me hope to look at the people around me, both online and in real life. My friends and acquaintances (including here on Substack) are intelligent, empathetic, analytical, compassionate and understanding, and I see how these people are already causing positive changes, even in seemingly small ways.
I also feel hope when I look at Brazil, my home country! It's not perfect, but we've made tremendous progress in the past few years. Our justice system is working to punish those who took place in an antidemocratic attempted coup and to make sure that people like that can no longer occupy positions of power. Activist movements for women and LGBTQ rights keep getting stronger, and people are getting involved with their communities to protect each other and the natural environment. And in Belgium, where I live, it gives me hope to see how it has one of the most robust legislations in the world to protect animal welfare.
Luna, these are all such great things to inspire hope! I'm so glad you shared these with us.
Books give me hope. I finished reading Robin Wall Kimmerer's SERVICEBERRY this weekend and it makes me imagine the ways a gift economy can happen. And last month I wrote about a small book that offered me hope about changing my ways in turbulent times. https://jillswenson.substack.com/p/balm-in-a-book
I recently learned that the Serviceberry was an essay before it was a book if anyone wants to start there: https://emergencemagazine.org/essay/the-serviceberry/
It is SUCH a good book.
Thank you! Great idea to provide the link. You go GIFTING these gorgeous and powerful ideas and spread the word like seeds to bear fruit, Hanna. I'm still trying to change my ways and play a bigger role in reshaping the world in terms of mutuality and gratitude.
I love your words! Thank you for the encouragement. Also, I needed the reminder. I have been sitting on ideas around something I have an abundance of and how I can share that with others. “Life” has been getting in the way and probably silly ideas about doing the book justice, when in reality, I could simply start small. By the way - that word “bigger” stands out to me, too, in your reply. What’s one small seed you can plant now?
Thank you for this exchange, Jill!
For me here on Substack I began a little more than a year ago embracing the idea of gifting my readers what I knew about the history of a special place. I don't have a paywall, but in an amazing demonstration of reciprocity there are a surprising number of subscribers who become "paid" patrons. And I consider every reader who gifts me their time spent on my newsletter a gift. Small steps add up.
Jill, thanks for sharing the book that gave you hope in Tara Penry's Hope Library project! I participated in that, too, and it was delightful. I'll have to take a look for Serviceberry, too. It sounds just right.
I can't remember who recommended SERVICEBERRY but it was included in the hope library, too. So much reading, so much synergy, so much hope!
I have problems with the word hope as it alone, is not robust enough to get us through these troubled times. Hope also implies inaction and wishful thinking.
Lets be affirmative in our thoughts and actions and talk about what we do want and will do, not what we hope for…
Hope is always good to get a discussion going, thanks.
I do too, Susan. Reminds me of prayer. Prayer without works is dead. Hope without works is dead. I don't hope ... I DO!
Yes, just like prayer and that is something I do 🙏🏻 without knowing if anything results. 💖
Pray, then like First Lady Michelle Obama said, "DO SOMETHING!" 😉
I'm not a praying man, but people always be praying for me & other people, places, and things. Sometimes it's a reason to do nothing at all ... for tons of people.
Susan, I'm glad you brought this up. I've seen others say similar things about hope, often from the lens of hope being about the future when we should probably pay attention to right now. I wonder if some of us have different perspectives that we label as "hope."
Like all words Robin, hope especially has many perspectives ..maybe if we used it as an active verb about what we are hoping for..it would show the actions that are needed. As always paying attention to right now and being present to all that is where our power lies.
The Corbett report @James Corbett has a some interesting post/perspectives on what he calls Hopium , in particular how it is used in politic’s..so “hope” can be weaponised as well as being full of grace….Hope might even be the most potent word in language .
Strangely, I never gave up hope that apartheid would end in South Africa, or that the Berlin Wall would fall. I'm usually a bit of an Eeyore - not naturally hopeful at all - so I don't know where that hope came from.
Pam, I'm like you, and I wish I knew why. Even when things are at their darkest, I still believe it's possible for kindness to prevail.