I think hope can sometimes be a lie to postpone letting reality change us. Instead, I know many of us will do good stuff amidst all the bad.
Jem Bendell, Breaking Together

As a Religion teacher and ardent student of Religious History, I have to admit that hope appears as fodder for those who see no option for a better life. This is one of the many attractions to cultivate a religious life—a hope for a better tomorrow when all will supposedly be made right.

What “right” looks like is beyond me because I don’t think anyone really knows.

Hope is also what we put our trust in as we face the inevitable end of life either with loved ones or ourselves. It’s an idea to cling onto that death really isn’t the end and despite the claims, narratives and studies of near death experiences, nobody really knows what happens afterwards.

I’m on no pedestal to put the idea of hope beneath my own feet, but I often think back to the words of a friend of mine who built me a financial plan as part of his Masters work in Economics:

“Save hope for your Religion class and put together a plan that’s going to move the needle.”

It’s in this vein that I return to my writing.

Not just for this site, as I still need a space to process and work out my thinking, but in dedication to a new project. Something much different than my previous work, but congruent with what I’ve been doing here.

The thing is, I see a lot of people giving up hope, not only in this world, but in each other. And you know what?

I absolutely understand.

We have been facing our biggest social, political, economic, technological and environmental problems that we’ve ever faced and a little bit of positive thinking, or a few feel good stories, aren’t enough to get us through. However, to give up hope and move immediately to despair is not useful.

My reading of Bendell and reminder of my friend have allowed me to consider an alternative. It’s not something that can be relegated to a blog post or two, and goodness knows I’m sick of diving into books that should have been that, but it is going to take me longer to articulate.

It’s going to be interesting and I will be very excited to share it with you when it’s done.