Good Morning,
The New Year arrived last night at an annual
dinner party hosted by friends. They have graciously offered their home for
more years than I can remember. Despite, the balmy temperatures of recent days,
winter made an appearance last night with great gusto. The temperature was in
the single digits and the air was dry. The wood stove in their kitchen was
humming away when we arrived. It offered a hearty welcome. Somehow everyone
managed to dress with a bit of sparkle. This is no easy task in New England.
Our inclination is toward layers of wool, polar fleece, and gum sole boots. But
for this one night, black velvet, wool gabardine, and silk scarves were donned.
It gave the evening a celebratory air.
At dinner, our host posed the question; what do
you hope for in the coming year? The discussion lasted well into the evening
and headed off in many different directions. It encompassed the idea of
‘personal hope’ and hope for things larger than ourselves. We touched on the
usual subjects of economic disparity, greed as a destructive force in society,
the environment, politics, and the need for social change. Community Supported
Agriculture was raised as an example of a grass roots movement that has taken
form. This provided hope for many in the group. We spoke of the extraordinary
young people we know who are working toward social change. Some are creating
new business models that are friendlier to the workers. Others are working in
agriculture, the arts, law, education, and medicine. They are bringing creativity,
courage, and strength to their chosen fields. They are our future and
this gives us hope.
On a number of occasions we returned to the
subject of the disempowerment of the worker across cultures. Machines replace
people, a period of poor health often ends in termination, and pension plans
are a thing of the past. Workers feel a sense of disrespect, despite the
fact that they play an essential role in creating the product. The gap in the
distribution of wealth widens. Some believe that the middle class is
disappearing.
Where then, does hope lie? Where do we find
the inspiration and the tenacity to work toward creative solutions in our
modern world? The group sitting at our New Year’s table represented a variety
of educational and professional backgrounds. There were several teachers,
artists, a PhD in Philosophy, a Social Worker, a PhD in Chemistry, and a
banker. What tied us all together was a common vision. We all share a
love for the arts and the belief that it can heal. We all believe in something
larger than ourselves and feel a certain responsibility for others. We are all
working in our various ways to create change in our world.
If I had to choose just one thing that I am
hoping for in the coming year, and for every year to come, I think that it
would boil down to this; that we never lose hope. Hope in itself is enough. It
is at the root of life itself. It gives the human being the resiliency to
recover, again and again. It gives us the ability to carry on. It promotes
change and fuels creativity. It gives us a purpose and helps us to bring our
dreams to fruition.
Aristotle once wrote, “Hope is a waking
dream.” May we never stop dreaming.
