"Cause out here, hope remains."
The title comes from a new favorite song of mine, "40 Acres", from a group by the name of Caedmon's Call. Again, it's been a couple of weeks since my last post, but quite a bit has gone on since then. Unfortunately, it's not really relating to me, per se, but it's more of what's going on in the world around me.
It seems that within the last few years or so, unimaginable instances of violence and devastation have exploded our news sources and social media pages. Sandy Hook shooting. Boston Marathon bombing. Aurora shooting. Ferguson. ISIS massacres in the Middle East. Trayvon Martin. Countless instances of police brutality, namely Eric Garner. And just this week, a massive earthquake in Nepal and riots and protests against police brutality in Baltimore.
With the exception of 9/11, growing up, I don't EVER remember things like this happening.
All the death, violence, and despair going on lately...it can be hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. When is all of this going to end? What in the world is going on with the world? Why does there seem to be a disturbing rise in instances like these? What can we do about it? Can we even do anything about it?
The truth is that I don't have the answers to any of these questions. But I do have hope. I have hope in a God who is on the throne and who is sovereign, at least for me, despite all the insanity in the world. I have hope in the fundamental mission of Grow Appalachia, the work that I'm a part of, and the lives that are reaping the benefits of this work (If you don't believe me, check out this story). I have hope in this VISTA movement: individuals of all ages from all walks of life, trying to make their part of the world just a little bit better. And yes, even though some days are definitely easier than others, I have hope in humanity. As Martin Luther King Jr said, "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice." I always try to see the good in others. I always try to give people the benefit of the doubt. I feel like if we didn't at least try just that, we'd constantly be at war with each other.
Yes, I have hope, and it doesn't seem like much. But it's enough for me. I think we all need a little something to believe in.
"I can say with scientific certainty that what keeps us alive, more important than blood or oxygen or even love, is hope." -Dr. Henry Morgan, "Forever"
It seems that within the last few years or so, unimaginable instances of violence and devastation have exploded our news sources and social media pages. Sandy Hook shooting. Boston Marathon bombing. Aurora shooting. Ferguson. ISIS massacres in the Middle East. Trayvon Martin. Countless instances of police brutality, namely Eric Garner. And just this week, a massive earthquake in Nepal and riots and protests against police brutality in Baltimore.
With the exception of 9/11, growing up, I don't EVER remember things like this happening.
All the death, violence, and despair going on lately...it can be hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. When is all of this going to end? What in the world is going on with the world? Why does there seem to be a disturbing rise in instances like these? What can we do about it? Can we even do anything about it?
The truth is that I don't have the answers to any of these questions. But I do have hope. I have hope in a God who is on the throne and who is sovereign, at least for me, despite all the insanity in the world. I have hope in the fundamental mission of Grow Appalachia, the work that I'm a part of, and the lives that are reaping the benefits of this work (If you don't believe me, check out this story). I have hope in this VISTA movement: individuals of all ages from all walks of life, trying to make their part of the world just a little bit better. And yes, even though some days are definitely easier than others, I have hope in humanity. As Martin Luther King Jr said, "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice." I always try to see the good in others. I always try to give people the benefit of the doubt. I feel like if we didn't at least try just that, we'd constantly be at war with each other.
Yes, I have hope, and it doesn't seem like much. But it's enough for me. I think we all need a little something to believe in.
"I can say with scientific certainty that what keeps us alive, more important than blood or oxygen or even love, is hope." -Dr. Henry Morgan, "Forever"
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