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A word of HOPE

A recent chance encounter with a local activist who lamented the long-time frustration of working on issues like climate change, racial and gender equality, poverty and voting rights; while, applauding the emerging crop of younger activists gives reason to Hope. While it is true that the problems that face the United States and mankind in general have been with us for decades, the solutions remain elusive and unsatisfying.

Sometimes it seems that even when we get what we are fighting for like “a Covid relief stimulus package” we are faced with a new threat, “inflation”. While we hear that the number of families living in poverty has dropped by 50%, thanks to the Child Tax Credit; these same families now find their purchasing power eroded by inflation. Seems at times that as much as mankind tries to fix the world, viruses mutate and new problems grow from old “solutions”.

While a belief in God is not fashionable or sophisticated, some believe that modern man has “outgrown” the notion of a “higher power”; looking at the world from somewhere beyond ourselves seems useful. Despite the progress of pioneers who promise to create tourism spots on distant plants in the near future, the reality is “we the people” of Earth are mostly stuck here. My activist friend who started this train of thought was particularly taken with the young activist, Greta Thunberg who at the tender age of 15 used the only tool she had: a boycott of school attendance to focus her community and the world on the need for responsible care for the planet. Ms. Thunberg has inspired climate change advocates around the globe.

Does this mean that change has happened, certainly not! Are some people more aware of the need to consider human activity as part of the reason for wildfires, flood and hurricanes that rage around the planet? Absolutely. Again, the change that the earth needs to be healed won’t happen overnight just as the destruction has occurred over decades of industrial “progress”.

The real lesson may well be that even when mankind believes something is being done to benefit society, the opposite can happen over time. So do we abandon the modern inventions such as indoor plumbing or the internet or do we learn again the lesson that CAREFUL use of any tool is important in the long run. Unfortunately, human beings are not patient. For most of us, we will be lucky to see eighty years and the march of time creates an urgency that things have to change NOW. Taking the long view, allowing for the next generation to pick up the ball and carry humankind forward requires Faith that a benevolent and generous Creator knows what the future holds, that HE/SHE Loves us ALL and that HOPE is not foolish. Truly HOPE is all we really have. God Bless all those who strive daily to make the world a better place for All.

Teresa R. Porter

Marietta

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