Things that give you hope.

brianlux
brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,663
in A Moving Train
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:




"It's a sad and beautiful world"
-Roberto Benigni

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Comments

  • F Me In The Brain
    F Me In The Brain this knows everybody from other commets Posts: 31,813
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  • mickeyrat
    mickeyrat Posts: 44,430
    "Hope Is Found Here"

    in Alcoholics Anonymous
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  • Meltdown99
    Meltdown99 None Of Your Business... Posts: 10,739
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    This.  Kind people like this.  KInd organizations like this.
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  • oftenreading
    oftenreading Victoria, BC Posts: 12,856
    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
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  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,663
    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!
    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • Jason P
    Jason P Posts: 19,305
    My mom's cat took a poop in her toilet.  Outta nowhere!  No training, cat just pooped in the toilet.  There is hope.
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  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,663
    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.  :smiley:

    Kudos to the cat!  Man, I wish mine would do that!
    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • Halifax2TheMax
    Halifax2TheMax Posts: 42,229
    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?
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  • OnWis97
    OnWis97 St. Paul, MN Posts: 5,610
    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.
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  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,663
    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.
    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • tempo_n_groove
    tempo_n_groove Posts: 41,395
    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.  :smiley:

    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
    dankind Posts: 20,841
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  • Gern Blansten
    Gern Blansten Mar-A-Lago Posts: 22,189
    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.  :smiley:

    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.
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  • Meltdown99
    Meltdown99 None Of Your Business... Posts: 10,739
    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
    Give Peas A Chance…
  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,663
    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. 
    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • Jason P
    Jason P Posts: 19,305
    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 B) 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.  
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  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,663
    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 B) 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! 

    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • mickeyrat
    mickeyrat Posts: 44,430
    this. this also makes me incredibly sad too.




    _____________________________________SIGNATURE________________________________________________

    Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
    you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
    memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
    another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,663
    mickeyrat said:
    this. this also makes me incredibly sad too.




    Agreed.  Excellent read, thank you!
    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • Jason P
    Jason P Posts: 19,305
    Things that give me hope ... I made it through Thanksgiving week with no one bringing up politics once!  there is still hope ...
    Be Excellent To Each Other
    Party On, Dudes!

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