Ya gotta have hope.
Hope is the fuel that burnishes the fire that keeps
humanity going.
As one of my favorite poets, Emily Dickinson said, “Hope"
is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul.”
We
all have hope, as Ms. Dickinson said, but sometimes it’s easier to
connect to it than others.
Looking at the world these days is enough to discourage anyone from
having hope. The Iraq War continues – George the Second’s personal rage.
The world is in a climate crisis; thousands have been buried under the
ruble in quake ravaged China and it appears that the residents of Iowa
are about to drown. The price of gas soars and the Fed tells us there is
no relief in sight.
There are crazies out there who would like to do us
all in and while we wait for them to do their evil around the world AIDS
continues to wreak havoc, Malaria kills for no reason. And many are
waiting for those more fortunate than they to come to their rescue as
too many in the global community, including many right here at home, are
starving.
I
could continue on, but the picture is too bleak. And I would prefer not
to have my feather of hope float away caught in the swirl of my own
personal tornado of negativity.
So I
cling to hope as most of us do. Although in these hapless times the word
‘clinging’ seems inadequate, even as I struggle to understand just what
hope is as I cling to it.
Most
people think of hope as wishful thinking. Something along the lines of
“I hope something will happen.” A different view of “hope” is the
concept of “Confident expectation.” Such a definition would be more
Biblical in interpretation. The former is the weaker of the two
concepts, the latter the stronger.
America is at a crossroads. We all know this truth because it is
self-evident. This country has veered too far off the course our
Founding Father’s set for us. We have chosen an imperial leader,
ruling as monarch, an elitist who knows better what is right for us than
we know what is right for ourselves.
Our crazy King George has used fear
to corral us into his personal little pack of sheep. He has ruled with
an iron fist. We followed for awhile, but we will follow no longer. Just
that sentence gives me hope.
Still, America struggles with its path for the future. As we approach
the general election we struggle to get to know the two candidates vying
to be our new president. Which one will lead us out of the quagmire we
find ourselves in? Whose prescription for the future do we follow?
We
must ask ourselves the appropriate questions. Each makes our decision
based on our own perspectives. Do we back the reform-minded young
Senator from Illinois, Barack Obama, who promises us change? Or do we
hitch ourselves to the older maverick Senator from Arizona, John McCain,
and take a ride with him on his straight talk express?
For
everything we know about these two men, we actually know very little.
Obama hasn’t been around long enough to have amassed a voting record
that will give us a picture of how he would govern; McCain’s voting
history is there but yet needs to be explored.
At
the end of the day our vote is as much about character as it is about
each man’s philosophy, but neither should circumvent the other.
It
is our job as citizens of this great nation to with due diligence
determine exactly who these candidates are. We must learn from our past
mistakes and not fall prey to hype, glamour, and rhetoric – spin - the
tools of a public relations campaign, not a presidential debate.
If
we do our homework, truly take the time to learn about the candidates on
our own and not just listen to the candidate’s rhetoric (of course they
will tell us what we want to hear), read the pundits (who write to
espouse their personal points of views if not their pens), we will make
the right choice and pick the right man for the job. In doing so, maybe
it’s not too late to get America back on the right track.
We
can only hope.
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