When it’s all topsy-turvy, embrace hope

“Hope is the only thing stronger than fear.” You may remember this as a quote by President Snow in the Hunger Games movie. But its original source is the Buddha. Hope is the antidote of fear. We are seriously in need of hope these days.

I remember years ago when road rage was out of control. People were so angry -- about everything it seemed. We were just a pissed off nation. I remember thinking something needs to turn this around. Then 9/11 happened. Bewildered, we rallied around each other and watched the fall of the World Trade Towers over and over and over, for days, on television.

The smoky debris collapse of those iconic buildings was the only thing on TV. We couldn’t tear our eyes away from those images. Horror engulfed us. Hate in its vilest expression had come to U.S. soil for the first time since the Civil War in the 1860s. We reemerged wanting to help our neighbors and our country. This tragedy brought out the best of Americans. The anger we’d been submerged in took a back seat. For a while anyway.

But anger is second nature to humans. For many of us, it takes a conscious push to propel kindness to the prefrontal cortex of our brain, where actual decisions are made. Yet, we gravitate toward negativity, brutality and horror (which Stephen King capitalized on very well).  In the late 1800s, two New York newspapers figured out this peculiar appetite sold newspapers. They started the trend of yellow journalism, a sensationalistic style focused on attention-grabbing headlines and lurid photos.

The effectiveness of these publications putting the ugly side of humanity forward spilled into political races. When mudslinging emerged, those who engaged found it worked to gain a foothold over opponents and won elections. The uglier a candidate could paint their opponent the better their chances at the polls. Political contenders who tried to keep it clean were often doomed to lose if the other side was a devotee to digging up dirt. Face it, a traditional soapbox speech on the party’s platform is just boring.

Moving on. Mother Teresa knew the power of negativity and how a viper’s nest of viscous words carried out its work. Her language reflected her conviction to positivity and godliness. She refused to use words like “can’t, don’t, won’t.” She would decline an invitation to a war protest but was readily willing to attend a peace rally. I want to believe this was because she abhorred the darkness mean words could affect in a person, a community, a nation. She attended the physically sick. But she understood the disease our souls succumbed to when immersed in a swirl of dark rhetoric.  She, one tiny nun, battled relentlessly to beat back this evil thrall most of us were oblivious to.

Still with me? I know, this isn’t my usual type of writing, but I felt compelled to use my voice to push forward a vanguard of hope in this moment of uncertainty, conflict and fear on our planet. With a view toward the big picture, I offer these words of hope: “This too shall pass.” Are we in for a wild ride? You bet. Hold onto your seat and keep your head down. But most of all, use your words, your voice, your actions for goodness. Push yourself to be kind. You may need to bite your tongue against the words you want to say.

We need to put back into practice what my generation was taught: If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all. Some of you will think, “Well, then I won’t be able to speak at all.” Exactly. And, if that’s true for you ...  think about that. Search for the kindness and light in your soul. Push the ickyness of hate and fury from your heart. Breathe. Let yourself feel joy for little things. A squirrel eating a nut in the snow. Laugh. Watch cat videos on YouTube. Bask in brightness. Take a walk outside (it’s warming up again, thankfully), and turn your face toward the sun. Enjoy. Eat a bowl of ice cream, taking a moment to appreciate every creamy, sweet bite sliding over your tongue and down your throat. Feel your soul relaxing and saying “ahhhh” in relief.

For those of you feeling fear, same goes. Force yourself to let that go and find your happy place. Know that life is dynamic. Things are constantly changing. Embrace hope and prayer. Avoid the spewing of hate when you can. That may mean taking a break from and turning off the news (generally, the media is not a friend of positivity). Find like-minded people to spend time with and celebrate the good things in your lives. Share your hopes. Spread those little seeds of light where you can.

Be like Mother Teresa. She’s a pretty decent role model, right? One of my favorite Mother Teresa quotes: “We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do.” Be kind.  Always. Please.