Good morning!
A follow-up to #DespairIsNotAStrategy : 15 Principles of #Hope.
I did my best, but so much goodness had to be trimmed for each to fit in under 500 characters, so I am including the link to the original article.
Also, read about as many of the names mentioned at the end as possible - we really do stand on the shoulders of extraordinary giants.
Be encouraged. You are not alone. Continue to hope, and keep going, keep going, #KeepGoing
Good morning!
Pt 15 of #DespairIsNotAStrategy: 15 Principles of #Hope
"We stand on the shoulders of giants.
Thank you #CorazonAquino, #AudreLorde, #BellaAbzug, #MalalaYousafzai, #MarshaPJohnson, #EllaBaker, #AngelaDavis, #BellHooks, #SaulAlinsky, #YuriKochiyama, #MissMajorGriffinGracy, #GraceLeeBoggs, #BertaCáceres, #DoloresHuerta, #LaDonnaHarris, #DorothyHeight, #DianeNash, #HannahGSolomon, #GloriaSteinem, & so many others for showing the way"
Good morning!
Pt 14 of #DespairIsNotAStrategy: 15 Principles of #Hope
Recognise & account for our mind’s #NegativityBias - our mind’s tendency to weigh negative things more heavily, even when they are of equal intensity.
There are horrible/scary things happening but to truly gauge the state of the world, we must acknowledge the reality of our mind’s bias, then seek out stories of positive change to counterbalance it. (Five positive for every negative.)
Good morning!
Pt 13 of #DespairIsNotAStrategy: 15 Principles of #Hope
"If you’re losing hope, do more before giving up. ... I’ve noticed an anecdotal relationship between engagement and hope, & between disengagement and despair.
I have found that the people who have the most hope are also those most engaged (in fighting #poverty, sickness, #inequality, #injustice), and the most #cynical ones those who are distant and disengaged."
Good morning!
Pt 12 of #DespairIsNotAStrategy: 15 Principles of #Hope
Total #victory is not the goal. We mustn’t be perfectionists because “Most victories will be temporary, incomplete, or compromised in some way. When #activists mistake heaven for some #goal at which they must arrive, rather than an idea to navigate Earth by, they burn themselves out. Don’t believe the moon is useless unless we land on it.” - #RebeccaSolnit
Good morning!
Pt 11 of #DespairIsNotAStrategy: 15 Principles of #Hope
If you embody what you #aspire to then you have already succeeded.
As #RebeccaSolnit writes, “If your #activism is already #democratic, #peaceful, #creative, then in one small corner of the world these things have triumphed… Make yourself one small #republic of unconquered #spirit. 💪
Good morning!
Pt 10 of #DespairIsNotAStrategy: 15 Principles of #Hope
"Hope is a basis, not a substitute, for #action.
In the words of #RebeccaSolnit, "Hope is only a beginning. It gets you there but #work gets you through." "
Good morning!
Pt 9 of #DespairIsNotAStrategy: 15 Principles of #Hope
We can change the world b/c we have, many times before. “What lies ahead seems unlikely but when it becomes the past it seems inevitable”. (#RebeccaSolnit)
The status quo wants us to believe that things don’t change, that situations are immutable & inevitable but “What leaps out from the history of the past 100 yrs is its utter unpredictability”. (#HowardZinn)
Be the change, be astonished. 💪
Good morning!
Pt 8 of #DespairIsNotAStrategy: 15 Principles of #Hope
Small actions matter. Has someone thanked you profusely & you didn't know why what you did was such a big deal?
A short convo that changes perspective, an intro that opens doors, a simple note might be what was needed to keep going.
The result can be greater than the action: use as impetus for small, positive acts. Just b/c we can’t do everything, do not diminish the importance of what we CAN do
Good morning!
Pt 7 of #DespairIsNotAStrategy: 15 Principles of #Hope
It’s always too soon to go home & too soon to calculate effect.
It’s easy to assume we can perfectly calculate the effects of our actions based on our intent, but as #RebeccaSolnit explains:
"There are probabilities & likelihoods, but no guarantees - nobody can know the full consequences of their actions, & #history is full of small acts that changed the world is surprising ways."
Light_Journeys