Opinion: The importance of hope in today’s world

It seems that day after day, we’re pounded by an avalanche of distressing news, and it’s easy to lose hope in these times. Some might say hope is a desperate thing, but on the contrary, it’s how we as a people survive. Hope is an indispensable force to hold on to. 

Emily Dickinson once said that “hope is the thing with feathers.” It has the extraordinary strength to lift us when we find ourselves at our lowest of lows.

Hope is not to be confused with pure optimism. Rather than being passive, hope requires strong action and vigilance for long-lasting effects as opposed to anger. 

Oftentimes known as the driving force of change, anger is actually closer to the role of an instigator. Without hope, people would see no purpose in acting upon their anger as there would be no point in fighting back against injustice.

There’s a commonality between the activists before us and those on the frontline of protests at this moment — an unconditional loyalty to hope itself. It inspires action with its great gravity, survives through difficult periods of time and provokes a desire to fight for the hopeless.

Hope gives us a reason to live. It gives us strength and courage and presses towards a key to unlock a brighter world. 

The fear of a static future makes us feel adrift and powerless. It’s in these times that change most likely is to occur.

Movements are transcended by hope, the same four-letter word echoing from the mouths of prominent activists from Martin Luther King Jr. to Nelson Mandela to Malala Yousafzai. The matter of these leaders’ fights differ, but their way out was using the transformative power of hope in pursuit of a better situation.

Our world is currently facing turbulent, but necessary times, and seeking change when feeling wronged, dejected, and confined can be achieved using one unifying power — hope.