Embodying Hope
In the introduction to their book Active Hope, authors Joanna Macy and Chris Johnstone explain that hope can be thought of it its active or passive forms (p. 3). Hopefulness, or 'Passive Hope' they describe as "where our preferred outcome seems reasonably likely to happen. If we require this kind of hope before we commit ourselves to an action, our response gets blocked in areas where we don’t rate our chances too high."
But there’s another type of hope - ‘Active Hope’ - that can sustain us where hopefulness falls short:
“Active Hope is a practice. Like tai chi or gardening, it is something we do rather than have. It is a process we can apply to any situation, and it involves three key steps. First, we take a clear view of reality; second, we identify what we hope for in terms of the direction we’d like things to move in or the values we’d like to see expressed; and third, we take steps to move ourselves or our situation in that direction.
Since Active Hope doesn’t require our optimism, we can apply it even in areas where we feel hopeless. The guiding impetus is intention; we choose what we aim to bring about, act for, or express. Rather than weighing our chances and proceeding only when we feel hopeful, we focus on our intention and let it be our guide.”
I can imagine some of you reading this and feeling like a light just turned on. I can equally imagine others rolling their eyes to the point of detaching their retinas.
That’s fair.
The above quotes sound an awful lot like self-help patter, a prelude to jargon-heavy guidance that amounts to little more than “The only thing standing in the way of you is YOU”.
But there’s a gritty hard-earned truth in the above: If moving forward, if finding the will to face reality and work for something better, requires a sincere belief that everything will turn out alright then we have no reason to hope or carry on.
A true, honest accounting of the state of our world suggests we are heading toward disaster. Any progress we’ve made over the last century – access to clean water, advances in medicine, less war, increased autonomy – was either made spilling the blood of the most vulnerable people on Earth or was powered by fossil fuels, the very act of which is currently driving us toward extinction. Without a rapid liquidation of the fossil fuel industry and radical expansion of political, economic, and social reforms, our planet will continue to jerk and heave until only fragments of the world we know remain.
At the same time as we are failing to make the changes necessary for averting disaster, we are moving further and further away from any viable solutions. Across the globe there are jingoistic political movements gaining in power that promote values of individualism and dominance where we need increased communalism and solidarity. Rapacious economic policy is working tirelessly to place a currency value on everything, turning our world into a system to serve economics rather than for economics to serve the world. As our climate collapses around us, we become inured to the mass suffering of others as we are inundated by news reports detailing the horrors of existence while laying the blame squarely at our feet, pushing us further from developing a global empathy to match our global economy, all the while exonerating the powerful and opportunistic institutions steering us to oblivion.
For all our struggle and desire for change, the doomsday clock ticks on unfazed, inching closer to midnight each day.
If caring about our future, if fighting for something better, requires looking at all of this and thinking things will probably turn out okay then there is nothing left for us.
And yet, the power of hope is that true hope, real hope, is not built upon a foundation of optimism.
Hope doesn’t require seeing a path to success or a belief in the power of love. It doesn’t require a faith in something greater or a list of pragmatic policy solutions. Hope can survive in the darkest times because hope only requires that we look at our circumstances and see one single solitary step ahead that can move us closer to something better.
As long as we can face reality and hold onto a vision of a world that we can truly believe in, then we must simply find one act, one speech, one connection that can move us closer to that world and we will be enacting an expression of hope.
In the context of active hope, grim realizations and discoveries of morbid truths – be it though watching the news, experiencing a personal epiphany, or taking in a book/conversation/film that makes us aware of a previously obscured injustice – are not barriers or hurdles to overcome but rather an essential part of engaging in hope. Painful as it may be, the more clearly we are able to perceive reality and the more honestly we are able to own the horrors and hardship of the world, the sturdier and more resilient our hope can become. You cannot solve problems that you cannot see and you cannot overcome struggles that you refuse to acknowledge exist.
Still, facing the worst of reality is not enough, we must also sincerely take in and stand proudly by the good of the world. This doesn’t mean highlighting the statistics that show improved longevity or reduced poverty – these are ephemeral pieces of data that can shift and change with time and whose context is always more complicated than we will ever fully grasp. Engaging in real hope means rooting ourselves in something more fundamental than such fluctuating metrics and number sets.
Taking in the good of the world means sincerely considering and absorbing the ways that human beings are not just capable of, but are fluent in, expressing generosity, compassion, solidarity, and empathy. We express these traits more readily and more consistently than any other species on Earth. While news cycles and history classes may be defined by the biggest events and arcs of an era, often highlighting the worst humans are capable of, these instances represent only the loudest fringe efforts of our species – they are remarkable because they are so at odds with humanity’s natural inclinations.
This is not to say that left to our own devices humans would never initiate conflict or that we are all predisposed to absolute benevolence – our past and present regularly demonstrate that humans are also naturally inclined toward committing atrocious acts against each other for little-to-no reason. But these instances are far outnumbered by acts of cooperation, kindness, altruism, and companionship. The worst humanity has to offer is always the will of the few inflicted on the many for selfish gain. Most people most of the time are happier knowing others are happy, and most people most of the time will go out of their way to help others even when there is no material reward for doing so.
The problems of the world are not because we are apathetic or cruel, but because our instinctual altruism is easily manipulated when dealing with matters beyond the scope of our immediate community. There will always be those who will opt to benefit through the exploitation and oppression of others. However, there will also always be many many many more who would rather build a better world for all, even at their own expense, than a better world for just themselves. Despite what it may seem, there never is and never has been a shortage of people willing to do and be better for their communities and the world around them.
Maintaining a clear view of the world we want to live in, and a vision we want to organize around, is essential for sustaining hope. It doesn’t require that we know all the steps to get where we want to go, it simply means knowing what values and principles we believe our world should embody. In George Monbiot’s book Out of the Wreckage (p. 10), he puts forth a series of principles to aspire to as we seek to influence and steer our world:
“1. We want to live in a place guided by empathy, respect, justice, generosity, courage, fun and love.
2. We want to live in a place governed by judgments that are honestly made, supported by the evidence, accountable and transparent.
3. We want to live in a place in which everyone’s needs are met, without harming the living world or the prosperity of future generations.
4. We want to live in a place in which the fruits of the world we do and the resources we use are fairly and widely distributed, in which shared prosperity is a general project, and the purpose of economic life is to enable universal well-being.
5. We want to live in a place in which all people have equal rights, in practice as well as in theory.
6. We want to live in a place in which all people can feel secure, confident, safe and cared for.
7. We want to live in a place in which, regardless of where they were born, everyone has a neighbourhood of which they feel proud, where they can freely participate in the life of the community.
8. We want to live in a place in which, proudly and consistently, supports people in need of help, including those fleeing from danger and persecution abroad.
9. We want to live in a place in which a thriving natural world provides a refuge both for rich and abundant wildlife and for people seeking relief from the clamour of daily life.
10. We want to live in a place whose political system is fair and fully representative, in which everyone has a voice and every vote counts, and whose outcomes can neither be bought nor otherwise engineered.
11. We want to live in a place in which decisions are taken at the most appropriate level, to enhance democratic participation and connection.
12. We want to live in a place in which everyone has access to the information needed to make meaningful democratic choices, and in which political debate is honest, accessible and inclusive.
13. We want to live in a place in which education is a joyful process, encouraging children of all abilities to engage with enthusiasm, and adults to continue learning throughout their lives.
14. We want to live in a place in which good housing, fast and effective healthcare and a healthy, sufficient diet are available to everyone.
15. We want to live in a place that helps to build a safe, prosperous and resilient community of nations.
16. We want to live in a place that is open to new ideas and information, and that values creativity, research and discovery. “
Principles such as these provide a structure for hope; we don’t need to fulfill them all at once, or even at all, we just need to allow them to guide our vision for what’s possible and recognize our ability to support their coming to fruition.
On an individual level, this means that while “doing your part” can look like showing up to marches and lobbying your government, it doesn’t have to. Hope never has, and never will, look like any single type of action or expression. Hope will always be as diverse in expression as humans are in their experience.
If your ultimate goal is to build a house you don’t need to be a carpenter to be helpful, nor do you need to understand how a house is built. All you need to do is see the state of the house – Is there land? Are there materials? Are there people who know how to build a house or at least do the individual tasks involved? - and recognize one step you can take to bring it closer to existence. Maybe you put on your hard hat and start building, maybe you get a book from the library about construction, or maybe you just talk to your friend about house building to see if they have any ideas. As long as you can find one step to take, you have hope.
This is what we face today - both as citizens of the world and as individuals living in unique communities. Our world can, and must, be better and there are steps we can take to influence it in that direction. At the same time, we as individuals are struggling. We are lonelier, sadder, more lost and adrift than any other time in recent history. Collectively, our sense of hope is depleting rapidly, not only impacting our political aspirations, but also our ability to feel purposeful and connected to our own lives.
But renewing our sense of hope is not about being able to see a happy ending. It isn’t about looking at our lives and feeling like everything will turn out alright. Hope is what you do to influence the world to be better in spite of, and because of, the reality you bear witness to. Experiencing hope is about re-examining what it means to desire and what it means to grow. It’s about considering that as bleak and barren as the future may feel, there are still things we can do to help build a world that truly reflects the values and principles that shape our sense of joy, connection, and fulfillment. As long as those steps exist, there is hope.
In the months and years ahead there will be many things that challenge, or defeat, any remaining sense of optimism we may have for the future. That’s okay. Optimism is fickle and temperamental; optimism is not worth investing in. But hope is different. Hope isn’t fragile or elusive - hope is impregnable and plentiful. Hope is indefatigable and expansive. Hope can survive no matter what lays ahead because no matter happens, nothing can ever take away our ability to guide our world in the direction of compassion, joy, generosity, and justice.