Things that give you hope.

brianlux

Earlier today, I started thinking about some things that give me reason to feel hopeful.  I thought about starting this thread earlier but held back because every time I tried to word it, everything I could think of sounded corny, too touchy-feely, overly sentimental, etc.  But what the heck.  It's kind of like "What's so funny about peace love and understanding anyway?"  Beside, in times like these, finding something to feel hopeful about can't hurt, right?

So if you have something at the moment that really inspires you to feel hopeful, please share it with us here.  On the other hand, if you're feeling cynical, hopeless, or just plain pissed off, that's cool and I get it, but maybe save that some someplace else?  Cool.

Two things gave me reasons to feel hopeful today.  The first is this amazing young lady and all those other kids out there like her who are standing up and asking us to work on combating climate change.  Miss Greta Thunberg:

And secondly, a news source I find both inspiring as well as challenging, The Guardian:

https://www.theguardian.com/us

F Me In The Brain

Our very own ElwayVedder and IamTom

mickeyrat

"Hope Is Found Here"

in Alcoholics Anonymous

Meltdown99

'Best day ever': Terminally ill Sask. man granted final wish for ice creamhttp://www.ctvnews.ca/lifestyle/best-day-ever-terminally-ill-sask-man-granted-final-wish-for-ice-cream-1.4435505?cid=sm:trueanthem:ctvwindsor:post&utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&utm_content=5ce915ccc3070b0001dc9676&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR3ESd1Xp6efSzbSKH6SBcW20zc8SW-dGrjYBPu8e_PNSwtFGMURP18YW9g

This.  Kind people like this.  KInd organizations like this.

oftenreading

Brian, I wanted to post this story but couldn’t find a prison reform thread to post it in, but the fact that there are people focusing their careers on prison reform gives me hope. Plus, I thought you would be interested in it, since it references people you have mentioned before like Bill Ayers and the Weather Underground. 

https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2019/05/24/us/chesa-boudin-san-francisco-da.amp.html

brianlux

oftenreading said:

Brian, I wanted to post this story but couldn’t find a prison reform thread to post it in, but the fact that there are people focusing their careers on prison reform gives me hope. Plus, I thought you would be interested in it, since it references people you have mentioned before like Bill Ayers and the Weather Underground. 

https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2019/05/24/us/chesa-boudin-san-francisco-da.amp.html

This is great.  I hope we'll here more about what Boudin would like to see done to increase reform rather that simply cram more people in prisons.  Thanks for posting it!

Jason P

My mom's cat took a poop in her toilet.  Outta nowhere!  No training, cat just pooped in the toilet.  There is hope.

brianlux

Jason P said:

My mom's cat took a poop in her toilet.  Outta nowhere!  No training, cat just pooped in the toilet.  There is hope.

You're sense of humor is big time source of hope, Jason. 

Kudos to the cat!  Man, I wish mine would do that!

Halifax2TheMax

Jason P said:

My mom's cat took a poop in her toilet.  Outta nowhere!  No training, cat just pooped in the toilet.  There is hope.

But did the cat flush and close the lid?

OnWis97

Jason P said:

My mom's cat took a poop in her toilet.  Outta nowhere!  No training, cat just pooped in the toilet.  There is hope.

That’s not hope for me...it’s cats getting on step closer to taking the world over.  Frightening.

brianlux

I want so badly to have more hope for the future.  It seems that we are moving into a time of increased despair.  I say "increased" because I became aware of this movement many years ago when a friend in the mid 70's told me we were living in the age of anxiety.    Then some years later I read the phrase "antidote to despair" in either an Edward Abbey or a Wendell Berry book.  Around that same time, in 1983, Joan Baez was quoted as saying "Action is the antidote to despair.".  There is the hope and the answer.

tempo_n_groove

brianlux said:

Jason P said:

My mom's cat took a poop in her toilet.  Outta nowhere!  No training, cat just pooped in the toilet.  There is hope.

You're sense of humor is big time source of hope, Jason. 

Kudos to the cat!  Man, I wish mine would do that!

I'm wondering if the reason my cats like to come around me when I'm in there is because they want to try out the toilet?  Lid stays down all the time.

dankind

https://youtu.be/cHzbGbWFPiQ

Gern Blansten

tempo_n_groove said:

brianlux said:

Jason P said:

My mom's cat took a poop in her toilet.  Outta nowhere!  No training, cat just pooped in the toilet.  There is hope.

You're sense of humor is big time source of hope, Jason. 

Kudos to the cat!  Man, I wish mine would do that!

I'm wondering if the reason my cats like to come around me when I'm in there is because they want to try out the toilet?  Lid stays down all the time.

My cat drinks out of the toilet.  Sometimes not too long after I have destroyed it.

Meltdown99

brianlux said:

I want so badly to have more hope for the future.  It seems that we are moving into a time of increased despair.  I say "increased" because I became aware of this movement many years ago when a friend in the mid 70's told me we were living in the age of anxiety.    Then some years later I read the phrase "antidote to despair" in either an Edward Abbey or a Wendell Berry book.  Around that same time, in 1983, Joan Baez was quoted as saying "Action is the antidote to despair.".  There is the hope and the answer.

May I suggest turn off the news and tune out of politics.  I started working the graveyard shift a few months back and do not have time for the news (maybe the evening news), and I purposely have no 24 hours news channels, plus I am not on the computer very much.  It's kind of nice not listening to these talking heads and newsreaders anymore.  Really, what changes if I am a little uninformed, except I am much happier and could not think of a better time to be alive.  Of course, I just got notified that my OT shift was cancelled so I get a 2 day weekend for the 1st time in 6 weeks...or it could be the Cannabis talking.  What the fuck do I know?  LOL

brianlux

Meltdown99 said:

brianlux said:

I want so badly to have more hope for the future.  It seems that we are moving into a time of increased despair.  I say "increased" because I became aware of this movement many years ago when a friend in the mid 70's told me we were living in the age of anxiety.    Then some years later I read the phrase "antidote to despair" in either an Edward Abbey or a Wendell Berry book.  Around that same time, in 1983, Joan Baez was quoted as saying "Action is the antidote to despair.".  There is the hope and the answer.

May I suggest turn off the news and tune out of politics.  I started working the graveyard shift a few months back and do not have time for the news (maybe the evening news), and I purposely have no 24 hours news channels, plus I am not on the computer very much.  It's kind of nice not listening to these talking heads and newsreaders anymore.  Really, what changes if I am a little uninformed, except I am much happier and could not think of a better time to be alive.  Of course, I just got notified that my OT shift was cancelled so I get a 2 day weekend for the 1st time in 6 weeks...or it could be the Cannabis talking.  What the fuck do I know?  LOL

It's definitely a good idea to keep a balance.  I admit, there are time when I think, "Why do I bother?", but it's in my nature to want to know what's going on in the world.  I pretty much limit my time keeping up with "the news" but am skeptical of pretty much everything I read, look for the more reliable "news" sources like The Guardian, and always read with a critical eye.

As for politics- so much of that now is a joke.  I'm more concerned with what naturalists, scientists, and well-informed, intelligent writers are up to. 

Kudos for you being able to handle graveyard shift.  I did it for 3 months in 1969 and one full year in the mid 70's.  I'm a bit of a night owl but even when I was younger after 2 or 3 or maybe 4 AM I crashed, and now after midnight or 1 or 2 AM, I'm done.  Never did well on graveyard. 

Jason P

Yesterday while walking down my driveway I noticed a strange black mop-like think on my roof ... upon closer inspection it was discovered to be a furry black squirrel.  We locked eyes.  It held strategic advantage with the high ground.  The squirrel had two options ... A) high-tail over the pitch of the roof and escape to freedom while I retire to my recliner in defeat or look at me with a stupid expression and go full shane mcmahon from the top of the the roof to the ground.  The squirrel chose option B.  

Just launched itself into the air and did a 15 foot belly flop onto the grass and made a funny squeaky toy sound when it landed.  Then it just ran off and I retired to my recliner quite delighted.  

brianlux

Jason P said:

Yesterday while walking down my driveway I noticed a strange black mop-like think on my roof ... upon closer inspection it was discovered to be a furry black squirrel.  We locked eyes.  It held strategic advantage with the high ground.  The squirrel had two options ... A) high-tail over the pitch of the roof and escape to freedom while I retire to my recliner in defeat or look at me with a stupid expression and go full shane mcmahon from the top of the the roof to the ground.  The squirrel chose option B.  

Just launched itself into the air and did a 15 foot belly flop onto the grass and made a funny squeaky toy sound when it landed.  Then it just ran off and I retired to my recliner quite delighted.  

LOL, cool story! 

mickeyrat

this. this also makes me incredibly sad too.

https://newrepublic.com/article/155699/ghosts-war-wisconsin-forest?fbclid=IwAR0Qc-snUqSEP4MxaQQzj_VTa_d56CDLYI_qyK1qQR3AReV_ewmO3L1j6hs

brianlux

mickeyrat said:

this. this also makes me incredibly sad too.

https://newrepublic.com/article/155699/ghosts-war-wisconsin-forest?fbclid=IwAR0Qc-snUqSEP4MxaQQzj_VTa_d56CDLYI_qyK1qQR3AReV_ewmO3L1j6hs

Agreed.  Excellent read, thank you!

Jason P

Things that give me hope ... I made it through Thanksgiving week with no one bringing up politics once!  there is still hope ...

pjhawks

The younger generation is much more tolerant of people that our generations have been.

hearing a child laugh or giggle is still one of the greatest things in the world and makes me smile each time I hear them whether I know them or not.

you can still find music that suits your mood regardless of how you feel in that moment

stuckinline

The announcement of the 2020 Europe Tour! Hopefully the boys will tour the USA before the 2020 election. 

brianlux

stuckinline said:

The announcement of the 2020 Europe Tour! Hopefully the boys will tour the USA before the 2020 election. 

That would be cool!

By the way, love that avatar of yours.  When I view it on a thread on my laptop,it looks like a little golden monkey bent at the waist.  When I click on it, then I can see that it's molten metal being poured into a guitar shaped mold.  Cool!

stuckinline

Thanks Brian! My avatar is the 2013 Pittsburgh poster.

brianlux

stuckinline said:

Thanks Brian! My avatar is the 2013 Pittsburgh poster.

Nice!

kce8

When I listen to the young people around me.
Now that Johnson has won for his Brexit plans and Trump, Erdogan and Putin are everywhere, these young people have just had enough of it. Many of them are starting to become politically involved in our community and don't want to wait any longer to get ahead.
Perhaps this Greta sentiment has affected it, but it is largely uncertainty in all areas and the constant inactivity of politicians that drives young people.

That gives me hope!

brianlux

kce8 said:

When I listen to the young people around me.
Now that Johnson has won for his Brexit plans and Trump, Erdogan and Putin are everywhere, these young people have just had enough of it. Many of them are starting to become politically involved in our community and don't want to wait any longer to get ahead.
Perhaps this Greta sentiment has affected it, but it is largely uncertainty in all areas and the constant inactivity of politicians that drives young people.

That gives me hope!

Hope!  Ahhh, just the word I needed to hear today, kce.  Thanks! 

kce8

Me too Brian!

kce8

Song Of Good Hope!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_le35eei-g

vogonpoetbythelake

Thank you for sharing!!