December 2023
Art by Olly Costello
Dear friends,
I’m not very good at sitting still for meditation or times of reflection. That idea of the person in lotus pose, quietly meditating, is just not me. Instead, I run and let my mind run along with me. Running long distances helps me slip into a zen state where I can meditate and reflect. This is especially true when I run on paths through a forest and can absorb lessons from nature.
On these forest runs, it is easy to get caught up in the challenges surrounding me. Sometimes there are horseflies as big as my fingernail trying to bite a chunk out of my neck. Sometimes there are tree roots, camouflaged under leaves, that are trying to take me down. Sometimes storms have created fallen and rotting tree trunks that block my path. But if I only focus on these challenges, I miss the ways that the forest also provides life.
As I run, I also see flowers, mushrooms, saplings, birds, towering trees, and other signs of life. Those rotting tree trunks blocking my path are also providing the nutrients for life to come. Storms may have knocked down trees and branches, but regrowth is happening. The new saplings are fed by the decomposing leaves, branches, and trunks. While I’m running, I’m propelled by the oxygen created by the leafy trees around me. Even those horseflies are playing an important role in helping that ecosystem thrive. You could walk into the forest and only see the danger, only see the death, and the rotting tree trunks. But the forest is home to so much life. If we ignore the ways that our world around us gives us life and only focus on the ways that it's breaking down, we’ll quickly lose hope and the motivation to keep working towards a better world.
Angela Davis—a woman who has had good reason in her life to lose hope for a better world— said “You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And you have to do it all the time.” In order to act in this way, you need to be grounded in a hope that a better world is possible. Hope is not just a feeling, it is a commitment to a better future and taking the steps necessary to get there. When we have been personally impacted by violence or injustices, it can be near impossible to cultivate hope in our life. But, holding onto hope is not about denying a painful reality or brushing aside harm. It is about having faith in the power of people to come together around a collective vision and plan for a just and equitable future. Despite how challenging it can be, we need to do our best to hold onto hope and draw inspiration from the signs of life, and a better future, that are all around us. Collectively, that hope for a better world is a critical foundation for action, organizing, and change-making.
A piece of art by one of my favorite artists, Olly Costello, shows colorful small flowers and mushrooms growing amidst fallen brown leaves with the words “the tiniest things are rising up” written on the leaves. If we look around, where can we see examples of this? Where can we draw inspiration from the world around us? How can we grow our hope for a better world?
Take care and build collective power,
Paul
Today’s Key Point:
We cannot make a better world possible unless we hold onto hope during challenging times and draw strength and motivation from the life all around us.
Today’s Reflection Questions:
Do you feel hopeful or hopeless or somewhere in between? What is making you feel that way?
What are some examples of “the tiniest things are rising up” that you see in your own community?
How could you or a group you’re involved in become an example of “the tiniest things are rising up” in your own community?
Mariame Kaba says “Hope is a discipline.” What does that mean to you? How do you cultivate hope in your own life?
Tool/Resource of the Month:
Professor Jaqueline Mattis studies hope for people facing challenges and wrote about “5 strategies for cultivating hope this year”:
Do something—start with goals: “hopeful people do not wish, they imagine and act”
Harness the power of uncertainty: “a future that is uncertain holds lots of possibilities”
Manage your attention: “spend less time paying attention to emotionally sad or threatening information”
Seek community. Don’t go it alone: “connect with others who hold us accountable”
Look at the evidence: “use evidence to guide our plans, pathways and actions”