It may seem paradoxical to be reading The Book of Joy when the nightly news offers an endless barrage of doom and gloom. School shootings, political vitriol, gas prices, racial unrest, muggings, murder, mayhem ... honestly, where is the joy in the face of suffering, pain, loss, and bedlam?
Then I read the following quote from Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
"It is also good to recognize ... how incredibly noble people are. You know human beings are basically good. You know that's where we have to start. That everything else is an aberration ...the fundamental thing about humanity, about humankind, about people, is that they are good, they were made for good, and they really want to be good."
The Archbishop went on to say that we must keep a more holistic view. Yes, terrible things happen; yes, there is so much doom and gloom. But we must have a sense of proportion and a wider perspective. This doesn't mean sugar-coating events or looking at the world through rose-colored glasses; instead, we must look with honest eyes at the whole.
And in doing so, we won't feel despair but hope.
NOT optimism (which depends on feelings) but HOPE (which is based on the firm ground of conviction).
As I am typing this, I am trying to think of ways to apply the Archbishop's quote on a practical level--to right here and now while I enjoy my morning cappuccino. What can I do? Like the Archbishop, I fundamentally believe that people are good, were made for good, and really want to be good. But I also acknowledge that the goodness can sometimes be hard to see.
Then I read another quote from the Archbisop: Despair turns us inward. Hope sends us into the arms of others.
So that's where I will start. With hope. Out in the world. To stand in the face of the bad, but celebrate the good; to witness the ugly, but bring forth the beautiful.
To open my eyes and see the world holistically and honestly, and still choose hope.
To choose hope is to step firmly forward
into the howling wind,
baring one's chest to the elements,
knowing that, in time,
the storm will pass.
~Archbishop Desmond Tutu
The Book of Joy
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