Hope's Most Urgent Hour

Shortly after my last post dropped I received an email from a longtime acquaintance for whom I have immeasurable respect. He said my efforts over the years had always given him hope and observed that my writings now “appear more pessimistic.” Then he asked: “Have you given up hope for finding a path through this insanity?”

I assured him I have most definitely not given up hope. But as we search for a path through the insanity of our times, it’s critically important not to succumb to the temptation to simply tune out the madness or bury our heads in the sand. It’s important to be fully aware of the gravity of the situation, as nothing is gained from pretending the situation is not dire.

Although I am optimistic by nature, I find it a struggle these days to remain hopeful. For inspiration I often return to the words of Czech dissident and author turned statesman Václav Havel who once wrote that hope is not the same thing as optimism, it is not the conviction that something will turn out w…