All with hope, all with hope
That emptiness brings fullness
And loss of love brings wholeness to us all
–Amy Ray, Indigo Girls
I read an excellent article in the New York Times yesterday, For 2026, There’s a Better Way to Be Hopeful. The link gets you beyond the paywall. It’s been a discouraging year for many, including myself, as authoritarianism continues to gain ground around the world and our own government in the US aggressively dismantles progress we’ve made toward clean energy. These are big problems and I can’t solve them.
The article’s author, Dr. David DeSteno, gets it. And he offers perspective:
Part of the problem, I believe, is that our modern conception of hope is flawed. It practically invites hopelessness when the stakes are greatest.
He argues that we tend to think of hope in terms of confidence in our ability to solve problems or achieve goals. And when we know the problems are so much bigger than us, we can lose hope. He offers a different way of approaching hope, which he grounds in religious traditions around the globe:
Hope is a virtue to be practiced, not an aspiration to be managed. . . .Most of the world’s religions agree with modern science that it’s unwise to base hope on the belief that if we just work hard enough, we can reach any goal. . . .However, for spiritual traditions, the recognition of our inadequacy isn’t a bug; it’s a feature. It doesn’t reduce hope; it redefines hope by freeing us from the burden of thinking that our goals are entirely our responsibility to achieve.
He cites research that suggests religious practice leads to–isn’t merely associated with–increased well-being and healthy engagement.
Religion at its best, as Rabbi Angela Buchdahl once told me, serves as a constant reminder that life is not about any one of us. We’re all part of something bigger. The same is true for hope.
I appreciate this framing of hope: more as a chosen attitude than an expectation of positive outcomes. I feel like–metaphorically–the nice house where I’ve lived all my life has burned down and I’m now living in a shabby apartment. I don’t know if I’ll ever live in a nice house again. Autocracy and global warming may rain bullets down on humanity for the rest of my life. Or not.
But you know what: People can live wonderful, rewarding, meaningful lives in shabby apartments. I can lean into compassion, humility, good humor. . .the Way. . .no matter where I live or what the weather is like outside.
Questions:
- Did you read the article? Did you like it?
- Are you hopeful? What does hope mean to you?
- Can hope and despair cohabitate?