Hard to be hopeful (but I will try)

Sometimes it is hard to be hopeful. Just the political climate alone in this nation is enough to make me want to move to Spain. The state of Texas is slowly becoming a theocracy in the worst way, and with another term of Rick Perry on the horizon, things will be bleak for sure. The mid-term elections revealed how so many of our voters simply do not care (and likely most of them do not know; ignorance is not bliss in this case) about real issues but they merely believe spin, innuendo and lies. A poli-sci friend is teaching a college class called National Government. I asked, "Is that in the theater department listed as a comedy?" He replied, "It's listed as a tragedy!" (and he was mostly serious).

But since this is a season of thanks, I will dig deep and try to be thankful for glimmers of hope. I am hopeful when I talk to young adults who are not duped by the far-right rhetoric that just does not add up. I am hopeful when one of our Bishops (Will Willimon) calls to task the Institute on Religion and Democracy (IRD) and says that they are no good for the Church and they do not represent Christian values by any stretch. I only wish other Bishops would make these kinds of stands. I am hopeful when I hear Warren Buffet say that the rich should pay more taxes and that tax cuts for the upper brackets never really do "trickle down." This kind of honesty from one of the richest persons in the U.S. is encouraging. I am hopeful when I know that many people (even if their motives are self-serving) will volunteer this week to help feed the poor and/or homeless. I am hopeful because we will soon begin another season in the church that is rooted on hope, liberation and new birth.

There are many other examples that help me remain hopeful. I know that hope is not just shallow optimism; it is something that comes with a price, it is hard work and it can transform not only our outlook on things but also our actions. In some ways, to reflect in this way is in itself to be hopeful. So I will continue to work at it no matter how dismal things appear to be. Ultimately, I can only control my own attitudes and actions. I am hoping that, too, will somehow make a difference. I hope.