There is light among the darkness even though we live in a time of gathering storms. We need that luminescence, that small patch of brilliance to remind us that a better future is possible. We can be that light, that brightness in the gloomy corners of our Earthly home. We can bring love and joy where it is missing, compassion and understanding where humanity is struggling. But most of all we can bring hope. Right now, more than almost anything, we need hope, the hope of a different future.

The results of the Presidential election in the US have shown us that the need for hope is everywhere, and right now its light is flickering. We must not let it go out.

I see everywhere the signs of distress and sadness for our world: in many cases it is fear. I share that fear, but I also see in that fear and that loss a hope arising. It may be small and feeble but I see it in newspaper articles, Social Media contributions, family comments, Podcasts, Newsletters and so on. There is quiet determination with that hope. A Churchillian moment where we will “never surrender”.

These soft words give me hope and a sense of not being alone. The coming Trump years are likely to be terrible for the climate and all we have fought for. My wish now is that it will bring us together and make us act for a better future that will come.

Examples of “mini hope”

Quotes

Senator Elizabeth Warren    “We will continue to fight for each other.”

Brian Tyler Cohen                   “The election is over and now we must do all we can to protect vulnerable communities.”

A friend                                      “We mustn’t give up, we must continue to fight with love, hope and dedication.”

Brené Brown                            “How can I make sure that in the maelstrom of my emotions, I stay committed to courage, kindness and caring for others.”

Guardian Newspaper             “We have been here before and the truth is that a second Trump presidency can’t stop climate action – – – – – -“

So, of course things will be difficult but in the end we will move forward. We still can create a world that works sustainably if we work together.

Sunrise – A light of hope

The world will change whether we choose to influence it or not!

So, let’s choose to make it better. Let’s create a vision for how we want it to be, and let’s go for it. We need to remember though that mankind has made many wonderful things happen, that we have progressed over time and that we have made good things a reality. We can bring brilliance to that light of hope.

It will need patience and perseverance and courage but if we choose to move forward and if we remember how far we have come we will make our world better.

We Used to Live in Caves

I have just read a fascinating book by Swedish doctor and statistician Hans Rosling called Factfulness. It is about the potential for human progress. In it he examines how humanity has been able to change over the centuries. We have moved from a hunter-gatherer society with an incredibly short lifespan to a life that is better on many levels for almost all of us. Nothing is ideal and life is still difficult for many of us, however, mostly we live in houses, mostly we go to school (even girls), mostly we have enough to eat and many of us have beauty in our lives.

We have eradicated slavery, released ourselves from the religious dogmatism of the Middle Ages, brought the vote to women, documented the idea of Human Rights, and lifted millions out of extreme poverty. None of that is perfect but we created it out of a vision in our minds of how we wanted things to be for everybody.

It will need effort on all our parts

Life has presented us with a huge challenge. We can shrug our shoulders and say, it is too hard. I am only one person, what can I do? I can’t fight the political forces out there.

Or we can feel devasted and stand up to fight anyway. We can get together and talk about the future we want to see. A future of kindness and community where we care about each other. That is the only way it will work in my opinion.

What Can You Do to Make That Light Shine Brighter?

• If America disappears for a while from the climate front Europe needs to be present!
• That probably means many millions of us being seen to be active and to pressurize our European governments. Show them you care and that you want them to agree a New Green Deal. March if you are able, write to the government and to the press. Be visible!
• Talk to your neighbours about the issues
• Put in solar panels or buy an electric car if you can
• Do what you can for wildlife (see my other Blogs for ideas)
• Support the NGOs and other organisations that fight for the climate
• Give up beef, or at least eat less
• Get together with a group and plant trees
• Talk to your local government and get them involved.

What Can You Do About Democracy and Making the World a Nicer Place?

In my opinion we need to re-learn how to care about other people. We seem to live in a world of non-stop news (whether it is true or not) where we are losing our compassion for other people’s plights. Social Media spouts hatred and vitriol and lies. Perhaps less social media would be a good idea and we should get our news from a place we trust. X and Elon Musk are not the way to go!

Values have changed since the onset of the consumer society. Peope have learned to put themselves and their wants first. We are competitive and fight for “our people”, not those that are “different”. We have economies that produce people with obscene wealth who do not care about those in poverty. None of this works for the majority.

These are my opinions, you must find your own way to a world of compassion and caring for all. But if we want to create a world that is sustainable in the future we must actively recreate the light of hope and work for real change.

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Photos by Anas Hanafi and Sebastien Gabriel on Unsplash and Stefan Keller from Pixabay