When Hope is Hard
How to survive the holidays in times of hopelessness
“You know hope is a mistake. If you can’t fix what’s broken, you’ll go insane.”
- Max Rockatansky, Mad Max: Fury Road
“If there’s courage in hoping, it’s the courage to face the fear of disappointment that hope creates. When things turn out badly, hope is more harrowing than despair.” - Kieran Setiya, Life is Hard
Melancholy is the mood of the age. Personifying this modern malaise are the overabundance of contemporary films focused on themes like futuristic societies backsliding into lawlessness, elitist factions monopolizing for personal prosperity, and artificial intelligence finally putting humanity out of its misery. While these themes aren’t new, they do seem to hit closer to home these days. The end of the world is felt more than ever—constantly enclosing, dreadfully demanding, slowly suffocating any semblance of long-term certainty.
One of the unexpected byproducts of modernity is collective sanity being stretched completely thin. I'm not sure there's a more poignant capturing of the mental health crises than when viral sensation Greta Thunberg gave her well-known speech at the UN Climate Action Summit, declaring back in 2019:
This is all wrong. I shouldn’t be up here. I should be back in school on the other side of the ocean. Yet you all come to us young people for hope? How dare you! You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words. And yet I’m one of the lucky ones. People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction. And all you can talk about is money and fairytales of eternal economic growth. How dare you!
I know her speech is intense, but consider the constant concern. It's easy to feel borderline bipolar with the weight of the world going viral faster and further in an ever-digitally connected world. And such a burden on behalf of civilization inevitably produces an out-of-control spiraling into depression and despair.
Admittedly, there is a particular powerlessness that comes with living in a crumbling society. This is especially true when humans are seen as the sole source of hope for the future. Like the children’s song “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands,” but the modern recapitulation is “I’ve Got the Whole World in My Hands.” There is not a single person who can hold that much hope, so struggle becomes all anyone can see—and, sanity becomes the scarcest of resources.
Though strife is a predominant story today, times of societal shifting do present a choice. As priest and theologian Henri Nouwen writes, “We do have a choice, not so much in regard to the circumstances of our life, but in regard to the way we respond to these circumstances.” Either you can attempt to control your surroundings or learn how to gracefully let go. And if I’ve learned anything, it is that surrender is wonderfully miraculous—the great restorer of whimsy.
“Advent, therefore, summons us to…the Christian hope that perseveres when human hope is at an end.” - Fleming Rutledge, Advent
“What have we educated them for? Have we given them too heavy a diet materially and neglected them spiritually? They have a sense of eschatology that my generation, even growing up into the Second World War, didn’t experience.” - Madeleine L’Engle, A Circle of Quiet
Despite the need for progress, the rediscovery of the way of the ancients is most pressing. Not needed is a new path, but a well-worn one—not new information, but tried and true wisdom. Essential is the rediscovery of spiritual truths that grapple with the full array of human experience. This is why I love Scripture so much—it affirms both a brutal realism, acknowledging the inescapable burden of being human, yet it also looks forward with a realism soaked in resurrection.
Surely, every era has had its share of scriptural misinterpretations and heavenly hopes that never materialize. Yet past generations have also had moments of coherence in a world gone mad. Reading stories of past saints is to uncover those out of step with their own day: mad men and women, dying penniless and poor, on crosses and crucifixes, in the city and country alike, yet no one could steal their joy. There was a sacred deposit within, the pearl of great price, the gospel of God grabbing hearts, refusing to let go to the bitter end.
I acknowledge how hard hope is. Whether personally or communally, holding onto hope is the greatest of challenges. Like a boxer trapped in the corner, life can feel like a series of successive punches, each trying to be the final haymaker ending it all. And after a few rounds of this, it is easy to let the mind wander into the dark alleys of despair. But to admit this, especially in a holiday season that is often hard for many, doesn’t mean you have to stay perpetually lost.
When feeling stuck, know this sensation doesn’t last forever. For whatever reason, whether a matter of providence or pure chance, the time has yet to come for your breakthrough. But it will—or more so, he will come. Like the dependable sun rising, Christ always arrives on the scene. As attested to in Advent for two millennia, even after hundreds of years of darkness and deafening silence, God did come in the form of a child. His birth served as a sign that “the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it (John 1:5).”
If you find yourself against the ropes, give Jesus the sweetest of scents: the pleasing aroma of your trust. Whether meeting Christ on Earth upon his return or in heavenly splendor upon death, stay in the fight until the end. Indifference is fought with involvement, polarization with peace, fanaticism with faithfulness, despair with hope, fear with faith. Your weapon, a worldview testifying that a new age is dawning; and hope, always on the horizon.
Practice - If none of what I’ve written is helpful, spend time googling funny memes. That’s all. You need a good laugh. Extra credit for sharing these with others. For whatever reason, laughter always raises my barometer for hope.
Prayer - God, I give up complete control. I know I’ve been holding on, trying to make my own way, but my soul only finds stability in your sustaining hands. I release all outcomes to you and trust you with the entirety of my life. Amen.
A Few Recommendations
Again, as I said in a previous newsletter, I’ve been on a bit of a sports kick. I’ve been saving a number of shows and movies from my last newsletter as well, so should be a fun month of watching. Here’s a few more things I’ve enjoyed:
Slow Horses (Apple TV+) - Anyone who leaves this show off their top 10 list for the year knows absolutely nothing about television. Gary Oldman is nothing less than superb; the show contains both resolution and suspense in every season, and it’s just a good time. Season 3 is currently being released.
Bye Bye Barry (Amazon Prime) - In an age where every star has to have their own documentary, I was doubtful going in. But the interweaving of past, present, and future with unencumbered highlights of Barry Sanders running like a moving Rembrandt made this a fun watch after a long day.
Behind the Attraction (Disney+) - We are catching up on this one (as its first season came out in 2021), but we’ve absolutely LOVED it. Each episode takes you behind the scenes of the development of some of the most well-known attractions at Disney parks. This one is for the whole family to watch.
Upcoming - During break, I am hoping to grab a copy of MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios. I am interested in how Marvel pulled off one of the great cinematic accomplishments (and how they have subsequently fallen). I’ve also been reading some older books on my shelf about high school football, including When the Game Stands Tall, Our Boys and Friday Night Lights.
The Latest #HornAdventures
Since the season has finished, life has been a bit simpler. I’ve enjoyed getting back into a normal routine, and we spent part of Thanksgiving week at Hilary’s parent’s place on Vashon Island. Here are a few pictures from our time together:
There have been six of these troll statues commissioned throughout the Northwest. All of them are made completely out of recycled materials and are meant to pay homage to the Coast Salish tribal communities as well as both Danish and Scandinavian traditions. You can find a map of them all here.
As you all know, my wife is one of the most amazing people I know. She gives way more grace and compassion than I deserve and is able to manage so many different things at once. It’s hard to believe, but we are heading into our 10th year of marriage. Prayers as we continue to learn and grow together in new ways!