I’m going to state the very obvious: we’re in a fraught season. It’s one that can easily pull us into anxiety, cynicism, and even despair if we’re not careful. And so today I’d like to offer a bit of an antidote. I’m sharing some of the wisdom, writers, and work that are keeping me hopeful lately. While I think they could be particularly useful right now, I believe they also transcend any particular political moment. I hope they bring you a dollop of hope.
1. Take in as much of the grounded wisdom of Heather Cox Richardson as you can. She’s an American historian with profound, yet digestible, ways of understanding our political landscape not just in the context of this year, but across the life of our democracy. A great place to start with her work is on Brene Brown’s podcast where they recorded two fabulous and hopeful episodes.
2. Remember that phrase action absorbs anxiety. Dan Harris, author of 10% Happier, reminded me of this recently in Maria Shriver’s Sunday Paper (both his book and her newsletter are also great hope-boosters). This means that anxiety cannot withstand meaningful action. Consider the actions you can take right now. That might be writing postcards to voters in swing states like I’ve been doing, but could also be something unrelated to the election but feels important to you. Go ask your neighbor if you can rake their leaves for them or buy some coffee shop gift cards to give to people at work.
3. Speaking of taking action, research demonstrates that cultivating feelings of hope actually increases engagement and positive action, increases feelings of resilience, and reduces tension and distress. These effects were greater for those high in hope compared to those high in mindfulness. This isn’t knocking mindfulness, by any means, which is an important tool and practice. But in very high or prolonged stress, hope helps people move out of stuckness. Share the study with those who say it’s silly to be hopeful.
4. Dig into the work of Jamil Zaki, PhD, who recently published Hope for Cynics: The Surprising Science of Human Goodness. Dr. Zaki makes the data-driven case for why hope is actually a smart bet, and cynicism is not only a dead-end, but not warranted from what we know of humans. His research shows that we tend to expect the worst from others, or believe they don’t care – and that couldn’t be further from the truth. He doesn’t make the case for naivety, but rather suggests we maintain hope while staying attentive and curious.
5. And yes, staying hopeful in our world requires hard work. I just loved this reflection I read from one of my favorite writers and purveyor of calm in a chaotic world, Kate Bowler. She shares from Nick Cave, “Unlike cynicism, hopefulness is hard-earned, makes demands upon us, and can often feel like the most indefensible and lonely place on earth. Hopefulness is not a neutral position either. It is adversarial. It is the warrior emotion that can lay waste to cynicism… It says the world and its inhabitants have value and are worth defending. It says the world is worth believing in. In time, we come to find that this is so.”
6. Speaking of defending our earth and its inhabitants, if you’re feeling particularly un-hopeful about the state of our planet, check out the beautiful book of essays, All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis. It’s full of provocative and illuminating writings from women at the forefront of the climate movement. Also take a look at the Mossy Earth YouTube channel. It’s an organization doing on-the-ground climate work and the channel lets you see actual progress that will remind you that good things are happening.
7. There is truly so much progress happening when it comes to many of the most important issues, and staying connected to this work feeds my sense of hopefulness. I love seeing movement in care work, with organizations pushing forward policies to support women, families, and care workers. It’s slow, but there are good things happening to make a difference for paid leave, childcare, and aging care. Follow the work of The Care Gap and Chamber of Mothers to see what’s cooking.
8. Take a few minutes to read Anne Lamott’s essay, “Show up with hope” in National Geographic a few years back. It’s as poignant now as it was then. I’ll share two of my favorite parts (but truly, read the whole thing – it’s not long):
You could say that river cleanup was child’s play compared with the melting of the ice caps—and I would thank you for sharing and get back to doing what is possible. Those who say it can’t be done should get out of the way of those who are doing it.
Sometimes hope is a radical act, sometimes a quietly merciful response, sometimes a second wind, or just an increased awareness of goodness and beauty. Maybe you didn’t get what you prayed for, but what you got instead was waking to the momentousness of life, the power of loving hearts.
9. Are you feeling hopeful yet? It’s okay if you aren’t. Because the step before hope – a prerequisite, in fact – is curiosity. Just start by paying attention to what’s there, because I promise some of it will be good. And that’s the first seed to hope.
I’d love too to hear how you’re staying afloat. Reply to this email to share anything that’s speaking to you lately.