By Dennis Carman — President & CEO, United Way of Greater Plymouth County
Uncertainty certainly leads to anxiety. And a lot of uncertainty leads to a great deal of worry that can certainly overwhelm us. Regardless of your political leaning, it is hard not to be kept up late at night or wake in the early hours of your mornings fearing what the next day brings. Higher prices at the gas pumps? Higher costs of groceries? Will new tariffs result in higher prices for cars or houses? Is my job safe? As I near retirement, can I count on Social Security to support me? Will my neighborhood be vulnerable to wildfires? Or storms and earthquakes?
There is no shortage of things to worry about these days, and, if you are like me, you can feel powerless to do anything about any of these things. And, though I am uncertain if research supports this truth, I believe that wallowing in our worries cannot be healthy for us, either physically or emotionally.
At the risk of being labeled "Pollyanna" (check out the vintage 1960 Disney movie starring Hayley Mills as an incredibly hope-filled heroine who displays an unusual capacity to stay positive in the midst of all manner of troubles), I contend that we can find a bridge of hope to keep our heads above these troubled waters, but it will take a more active and pragmatic vision of what hope is.
Someone saying, "I hope things will get better," sounds awfully passive. The person takes no responsibility for doing anything to help make the situation better. We've all heard the phrase "hope springs eternal," and this seems to echo the idea that there is nothing to be done, that either magically things will get better on their own, or more often as not, things do not get better, and we can complain about how terrible the world is and return to our worries. What if instead of waiting for hope to spring eternally, we sprung hope?
This more active view of hope is embodied in the new book Hope for Cynics: The Surprising Science of Human Goodness by Jamil Zaki. The author points out "Optimism is idealistic; hope is practical. It gives people a glimpse of a better world and pushes them to fight for it." Zaki admits to having been a "cynic," not trusting in others and holding a fairly negative view of the world. But, as he studied the research, he realized that skeptics question assumptions to determine who they can trust and that learning to trust in people and recognize the good in the world can restore and foster hope.
So, as our chilly New England winter departs and is replaced by the sunny, warm days of spring, so too can our icy perceptions and cold hearts thaw to reveal the good that there is in our communities and in our world. In the midst of whatever worries we have, we can light the flame of hope and kindle it for the benefit of everyone in our sphere of influence.
Hope should be an action verb that we should live out every day so that our family, friends, and neighbors can see it, feel it, touch it, and hopefully join in it!
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