Holding on to Hope While the World Burns

Look to the future

Maria Shimizu Christensen

--

Photo by Ted Balmer on Unsplash

It seems pretty hopeless most of the time, doesn’t it? Climate change, politics, homelessness, housing, corporate monopolies, racism, violence, war, bodily autonomy. Billionaires. Corporations and billionaires invest in politicians and politicians are invested in keeping those investments coming in. We are not in the picture.

I could go on. And on. Our problems are big and widespread, but the causes and context and solutions are fruit for a different article.

It’s depressing and hard to hold on to hope when it’s pretty clear that we have little influence on making things better on a grand scale. We can and do take action on a smaller scale, but wonder if that’s enough to at least counterbalance the forces of evil. I think it is.

Our history is full of individuals and small groups fighting against the tide but eventually winning. It’s how most of our big, important changes came about. I’m sorry to say that turning the tide sometimes didn’t happen during the lifetime of those in the fight, but that’s kind of important to remember. We’re in it for the long haul.

The first women’s rights convention, the Seneca Falls Convention, took place in 1848. 68 women and 32 men signed the Declaration of Rights and Sentiments, one of the results of the…

--

--

Maria Shimizu Christensen
Maria Shimizu Christensen

Written by Maria Shimizu Christensen

Writer. Maker. Featured in Medium’s 2021 list of Stories That Started Conversations. I write about life. https://www.mariashimizuchristensen.com

Responses (4)