In today’s Atlantic, Peter Wehner, a former speechwriter for three Republican presidents and social critic, discusses what many of us are thinking: how is it that the body politic degenerated into one of hate and fear, and how we can emerge from our deep divisions and rebuild a society based on the basic values of civility, generosity, and inclusion.
In his article, he calls on us to cultivate hope. Hope is, of course, what brought our ancestors to this land. When they came, they had hope for building a future that would allow for the diversity they brought, creating not a melting pot, but a stew with many different ingredients.
Hope, he writes, quoting Vaclav Havel, is not detached from circumstances, but also is not a prisoner to circumstances. We cannot just sit hoping will all turn out well, but must work so that beyond the divisions and the fear, that we reach out to those who live in fear of their world crumbling to point to possibilities that can exist for us as a people. It will take hard work, but it is essential to our social and spiritual existence.
Prayer for the Day
God of the future, we have a habit of looking backward
Often missing your vital presence in our lives today;
Trapped in the past, we deny your grace that can empower us,
And as a consequence we deny you by our neglect of others.
Help us to walk into the future with hope, trusting in the promise of your reign,
As did the One who always trusted in you,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen
Thoughts for the Day
Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.
Robert F. Kennedy, in South Africa 1966 (1925-1968)
History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again.
Maya Angelou, American poet and writer (1928-2014)
Shout out, do not hold back! Lift up your voice like a trumpet?
Announce to my people their rebellion, to the house of Jacob their sins.
Yet day after day they seek me, and delight to know my ways,
As if they were a nation that practiced righteousness
And did not forsake the ordinance of their God
Isaiah 58: 1-2