Close to Home: The answer to hopelessness is gratitude and courage

Hope appears to be in short supply this holiday, given the riots in Ferguson, Mo., the political divisions in Washington, D.C. and conflicts around the world.

To be sure, cynicism does seem to be triumphing over hope. That’s because it has always been easier to rouse people with fear and outrage than it is to inspire them to create something better.

Hope is certainly a wonderful feeling; it was the one thing left in Pandora’s box after all the sorrows had been released into the world. But the problem with hope is that it is fragile and relying on it can lead to unrealistic expectations which leads to disappointment and then to hopelessness and despair.

Hope is also closely related to naivete. Naivete invites betrayal which can then lead to either cynicism or wisdom. Cynicism, of course, is the refuge of emotional cowards. It offers certainty and a seemingly safe haven from the pain of disillusionment.

The way of wisdom is to embrace disillusionment as liberation from illusions and to learn to be comfortable in uncertainty.

The answer to hopelessness and despair is not renewed hope. The answer is gratitude, courage and commitment. We can begin by remembering how fortunate we really are.

I’ve never really understood the bumper sticker that says “Proud to be an American.” If I had won the lottery I wouldn’t feel “proud to have won the lottery.” But I would certainly feel fortunate; I feel grateful to have been born white and male in America in the 20th century. That really was as close to winning the lottery as I’m likely to get.

I am grateful for our democracy, as threatened as it is.

I am grateful for the diversity of our ecosystems, as fragile as they are. I’m also grateful to have a home and an income and a family and friends.

I am grateful to live in Sonoma County, one of the most beautiful places in this world. I am grateful that water still comes out of the tap, that I can flip a switch and a light turns on, that there are no bombs falling on my community.

I am also well aware that not everyone in Sonoma County has a warm and safe home; that too many children are homeless; that too many working people are barely keeping their heads above water; that unsustainable development continues to threaten the health of our local ecosystem; that our transportation systems are woefully inadequate and that climate disruption threatens everything we hold precious.

I am aware that not everyone in our world is safe from war or disease or hunger.

To bring about a world of justice, peace, environmental integrity and beauty requires that we not turn our eyes away either from suffering or from our vision of a better world. This is where courage and commitment come in. We have to believe that that further shore is reachable from here while also recognizing that we don’t know how far it is or how long it will take to reach it. And we have to be willing to stay the course however long it takes.

One recent morning, as the sun was rising, I heard a honking above me and looked up to see a flock of geese passing. They reminded me of one beautiful model of leadership; the lead goose faces the greatest resistance from the air but makes the passage easier for the others in her slipstream. When she tires, she falls back and another takes the lead. In community - in the communion of shared struggle - we can find a strength far beyond our own. Among the many things I will give thanks for today is being part of a community - contentious and crazy as it sometimes can be - where so many people are working to give birth to a better world.

Larry Robinson is a retired psychotherapist and a former mayor of Sebastopol. He is currently board chairman of the Leadership Institute For Ecology and the Economy. He lives in Sebastopol.