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Fri Dec 20 12:32:52 CET 2013
In some varieties of hope, there is also a bit of (optimistic) belief that
things WILL turn out ok, usually expressed as "having" or "getting" hope:
"I have a lot of hope in this new president. S/he gives me a lot of hope."
Again, I find myself indulging in both of these forms of hope but, again,
they feel passive, so I call them "passive hope". When I lose them - when I
become sad, disappointed, or disillusioned - that's when the word
"hopeless" feels real to me. But it, too, is passive.
In contrast, there seems to be a whole different kind of hope - a realm of
hopefulness I call "potent hope". Potent hope, too, has many forms but all
of them are active, intentional, and grounded in the positive potential we
can observe in people and the world. People with potent hope don't claim to
know what will happen, but they do claim good reason to take action, to
move with the positive forces in and around them.
And what I've noticed is that when I find myself losing whatever form of
potent hope I've had, I slide into passive hopelessness, because there is
no potent form of hopelessness. But potent hope is addictive, so I usually
soon find myself seeking another form of potent hope that is authentic for
me in my new state and, with its help, I find myself rising to the occasion
again.
Potent hope, rising from within us, is usually animated by energy and faith
that come from sources like these:
=E2=96=AA=E2=96=AA commitment or confidence in ourselves ("We can do it!"),
=E2=96=AA=E2=96=AA caring ("Future generations matter so much to me!"),
=E2=96=AA=E2=96=AA passion and vision ("I just love life and our vision of =
what's
possible!"),
=E2=96=AA=E2=96=AA principled non-attachment ("The outcome matters less tha=
n the rightness
of what we do!"),
=E2=96=AA=E2=96=AA seeing the perfection or potential in difficulties ("Thi=
s crisis is an
opportunity!"),
=E2=96=AA=E2=96=AA connecting to the power of predecessors ("Look at what's=
been done
before!"),
=E2=96=AA=E2=96=AA shifting to a higher, deeper, longer perspective ("There=
's something
bigger going on here that we're part of...!"),
=E2=96=AA=E2=96=AA the intrinsic joy of doing ("I love what I do, no matter=
what happens!"),
=E2=96=AA=E2=96=AA simple choice ("I choose positivity because it gives me =
an exciting,
meaningful life!") or even
=E2=96=AA=E2=96=AA grit and determination ("I refuse to give up!").
All these perspectives provide energy and inspiration that help us remain
engaged even in the face of immense disasters or obstacles. It is this kind
of hope - this potent active hope - that gives the world its best chances,
that sustains life, and that often makes our own lives meaningful and rich
as we find ourselves rising to the challenge of our journey over and over.
So I wish you and me potent hope in this holiday season and as the world
turns us to engage the next wave of challenges and opportunities in 2014.
Blessings on this immense intense Journey we are all on together...
Coheartedly,
Tom
=3D =3D =3D =3D
*Here are some insightful, inspiring quotes to remind us of the many
varieties of Potent Hope...*
=E2=80=9CIt's really a wonder that I haven't dropped all my ideals, because=
they
seem so absurd and impossible to carry out. Yet I keep them, because in
spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.=
=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=95 Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl
=E2=80=9CThe road that is built in hope is more pleasant to the traveler th=
an the
road built in despair, even though they both lead to the same destination.=
=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=95 Marion Zimmer Bradley, The Fall of Atlantis
=E2=80=9CTo love life, to love it even
when you have no stomach for it
and everything you've held dear
crumbles like burnt paper in your hands,
your throat filled with the silt of it.
When grief sits with you, its tropical heat
thickening the air, heavy as water
more fit for gills than lungs;
when grief weights you like your own flesh
only more of it, an obesity of grief,
you think, How can a body withstand this?
Then you hold life like a face
between your palms, a plain face,
no charming smile, no violet eyes,
and you say, yes, I will take you
I will love you, again.=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=95 Ellen Bass
=E2=80=9CI have come to accept the feeling of not knowing where I am going.=
And I
have trained myself to love it. Because it is only when we are suspended in
mid-air with no landing in sight, that we force our wings to unravel and
alas begin our flight. And as we fly, we still may not know where we are
going to. But the miracle is in the unfolding of the wings. You may not
know where you're going, but you know that so long as you spread your
wings, the winds will carry you.=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=95 C. JoyBell C.
=E2=80=9CThere is a crack in everything.
That's how the light gets in.=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=95 Leonard Cohen, Selected Poems, 1956-1968
=E2=80=9CIn a time of destruction, create something.=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=95 Maxine Hong Kingston
=E2=80=9CTo be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is b=
ased on
the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of
compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness. What we choose to emphasize in
this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it
destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and
places=E2=80=94and there are so many=E2=80=94where people have behaved magn=
ificently, this
gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this
spinning top of a world in a different direction. And if we do act, in
however small a way, we don=E2=80=99t have to wait for some grand utopian f=
uture.
The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we
think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us,
is itself a marvelous victory.=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=95 Howard Zinn
=E2=80=9CYou do not need to know precisely what is happening, or exactly wh=
ere it
is all going. What you need is to recognize the possibilities and
challenges offered by the present moment, and to embrace them with courage,
faith and hope.=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=95 Thomas Merton
=E2=80=9CIf we will be quiet and ready enough, we shall find compensation i=
n every
disappointment.=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=95 Henry David Thoreau
=E2=80=9CIt's the possibility that keeps me going, not the guarantee.=E2=80=
=9D
=E2=80=95 Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook
=E2=80=9CCHORONZON: I am a dire wolf, prey-stalking, lethal prowler.
MORPHEUS: I am a hunter, horse-mounted, wolf-stabbing.
CHORONZON: I am a horsefly, horse-stinging, hunter-throwing.
MORPHEUS: I am a spider, fly-consuming, eight legged.
CHORONZON: I am a snake, spider-devouring, posion-toothed.
MORPHEUS: I am an ox, snake-crushing, heavy-footed.
CHORONZON: I am an anthrax, butcher bacterium, warm-life destroying.
MORPHEUS: I am a world, space-floating, life-nurturing.
CHORONZON: I am a nova, all-exploding... planet-cremating.
MORPHEUS: I am the Universe -- all things encompassing, all life embracing.
CHORONZON: I am Anti-Life, the Beast of Judgement. I am the dark at the end
of everything. The end of universes, gods, worlds... of everything. Sss.
And what willyou be then, Dreamlord?
MORPHEUS: I am hope.=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=95 Neil Gaiman, The Sandman, Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes
=E2=80=9CWhere there is no hope, it is incumbent on us to invent it.=E2=80=
=9D
=E2=80=95 Albert Camus
=E2=80=9CSometimes good things fall apart, so better things can fall togeth=
er.=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=95 Jessica Howell
=E2=80=9CHope is not about proving anything. It's about choosing to believe=
this
one thing, that love is bigger than any grim, bleak shit anyone can throw
at us.=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=95 Anne Lamott, Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith
=E2=80=9CHope is a verb with its shirtsleeves rolled up.=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=95 David Orr
=E2=80=9COur strategy should be not only to confront empire, but to lay sie=
ge to
it. To deprive it of oxygen. To shame it. To mock it. With our art, our
music, our literature, our stubbornness, our joy, our brilliance, our sheer
relentlessness =E2=80=93 and our ability to tell our own stories. Stories t=
hat are
different from the ones we=E2=80=99re being brainwashed to believe. The cor=
porate
revolution will collapse if we refuse to buy what they are selling =E2=80=
=93 their
ideas, their version of history, their wars, their weapons, their notion of
inevitability. Remember this: We be many and they be few. They need us more
than we need them. Another world is not only possible, she is on her way.
On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=95 Arundhati Roy, War Talk
"I choose to drown in hope. Rather than float into nothing.=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=95 Melina Marchetta, Finnikin of the Rock
=E2=80=9CThose who make us believe that anything=E2=80=99s possible and fir=
e our
imagination over the long haul, are often the ones who have survived the
bleakest of circumstances. The men and women who have every reason to
despair, but don=E2=80=99t, may have the most to teach us, not only about h=
ow to
hold true to our beliefs, but about how such a life can bring about
seemingly impossible social change. =E2=80=9D
=E2=80=95 Paul Rogat Loeb, The Impossible Will Take a Little While: A Citiz=
en's
Guide to Hope in a Time of Fear
"I can't help hoping, and keeping faith, and loving beauty. Quite
frequently I am not so miserable as it would be wise to be.=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=95 T.H. White, Ghostly, Grim and Gruesome
=E2=80=9CIt all counts,' Adam said again. 'And the bottom line is, what def=
ines you
isn't how many times you crash, but the number of times you get back on the
bike. As long as it's one more, you're all good."
=E2=80=95 Sarah Dessen, Along for the Ride
=E2=80=9CBut you can build a future out of anything. A scrap, a flicker. Th=
e desire
to go forward, slowly, one foot at a time. You can build an airy city out
of ruins.=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=95 Lauren Oliver, Pandemonium
=E2=80=9CCome friends, it's not too late to seek a newer world.=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=95 Alfred Tennyson
=E2=80=9CO, wonder!
How many goodly creatures are there here!
How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world,
That has such people in't!=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=95 William Shakespeare, The Tempest
=E2=80=9CA dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream togethe=
r is
reality.=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=95 John Lennon
=E2=80=9CAll men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the du=
sty
recesses of their minds wake up in the day to find it was vanity, but the
dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with
open eyes, to make it possible.=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=95 T.E. Lawrence, Seven Pillars of Wisdom: A Triumph=E2=80=9C
=E2=80=9CMy own heroes are the dreamers, those men and women who tried to m=
ake the
world a better place than when they found it, whether in small ways or
great ones. Some succeeded, some failed, most had mixed results... but it
is the effort that's heroic, as I see it. Win or lose, I admire those who
fight the good fight.=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=95 George R.R. Martin
=E2=80=9CAnyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game i=
n this
big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around -
nobody big, I mean - except me. And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy
cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go
over the cliff - I mean if they're running and they don't look where
they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all
I do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it's
crazy, but that's the only thing I'd really like to be.=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=95 J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye
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<div dir=3D"ltr"><br><br><div class=3D"gmail_quote">---------- Forwarded me=
ssage ----------<br>From: <b class=3D"gmail_sendername">Tom Atlee</b> <span=
dir=3D"ltr"><<a href=3D"mailto:cii at igc.org">cii at igc.org</a>></span><=
br>Date: Tue, Dec 24, 2013 at 2:27 AM<br>
Subject: Potent hope dances with passive hope and spectatorism<br>To: Miche=
l Bauwens <<a href=3D"mailto:michel at p2pfoundation.net">michel at p2pfoundat=
ion.net</a>><br><br><br><u></u><div style=3D"padding-right:0;margin-bott=
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"><p style=3D"font-size:0px;color:transparent">
Tom Atlee's Co-Intelligence Journal
. The Co-Intelligence Symbol .
What this message is about: Optimism and pessimism are kind of like specta=
tor sp</p><p style=3D"font-size:0px;background-color:transparent;min-height=
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yle:none;border-left-width:0;border-bottom-width:0;padding-top:0;border-top=
-style:none;border-top-width:0;border-spacing:0;padding-left:0;background-i=
mage:none;margin-left:0;padding-bottom:0;margin-right:0;border-radius:5px 5=
px 0 0" bgcolor=3D"#FDF2E4" width=3D"590" cellpadding=3D"0">
<tbody><tr><td style=3D"padding-right:0;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;paddin=
g-top:0;padding-left:0;margin-left:0;padding-bottom:0;margin-right:0;border=
-radius:5px 5px 0 0"><img src=3D"https://d1wh43egtz3cgo.cloudfront.net/prom=
otion_images/0591/9587/original/HandInLight.jpg" height=3D"216" alt=3D"Hand=
InLight" style=3D"border-right-width:0;border-left-width:0;border-bottom-wi=
dth:0;border-top-width:0;border-radius:5px 5px 0 0" width=3D"590"></td>
</tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td style=3D"margin-top:0;margin-right:0=
;margin-bottom:0;margin-left:0;padding-left:0;padding-top:0;padding-bottom:=
0;padding-right:0"><table cellspacing=3D"0" align=3D"left" style=3D"padding=
-right:0;margin-bottom:0;border-right-style:none;border-right-width:0;borde=
r-collapse:collapse;background-color:#fdf2e4;margin-top:0;border-left-style=
:none;border-bottom-style:none;border-left-width:0;border-bottom-width:0;pa=
dding-top:0;border-top-style:none;border-top-width:0;border-spacing:0;paddi=
ng-left:0;background-image:none;margin-left:0;padding-bottom:0;margin-right=
:0" bgcolor=3D"#FDF2E4" width=3D"590" cellpadding=3D"0">
<tbody><tr valign=3D"top"><td style=3D"padding-right:30px;max-width:100%;ma=
rgin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;padding-top:25px;padding-left:30px;margin-left:0=
;padding-bottom:20px;margin-right:0"><div style=3D"padding-right:0;margin-b=
ottom:0;clear:both;margin-top:0;padding-top:0;padding-left:0;margin-left:0;=
padding-bottom:0;margin-right:0">
<table style=3D"margin-bottom:auto;border-right-style:none;border-right-wid=
th:0;border-collapse:collapse;margin-top:auto;border-left-style:none;border=
-bottom-style:none;border-left-width:0;border-bottom-width:0;border-top-sty=
le:none;border-top-width:0;border-spacing:0;margin-left:auto;margin-right:a=
uto" width=3D"100%">
<tbody><tr><td align=3D"left" style=3D"padding-right:0;margin-bottom:0;clea=
r:both;margin-top:0;padding-top:0;padding-left:0;margin-left:0;padding-bott=
om:0;margin-right:0" width=3D"530"><div style=3D"margin-top:0;margin-right:=
0;margin-bottom:0;margin-left:0;padding-left:0;padding-top:0;padding-bottom=
:0;padding-right:0">
<h2 align=3D"left" style=3D"padding-right:0;margin-bottom:10px;font-size:20=
px;font-weight:bold;margin-top:10px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',He=
lvetica,Arial,sans-serif;line-height:1.2em;padding-top:0;color:#412c0a;padd=
ing-left:0;text-align:left;margin-left:0;padding-bottom:0;margin-right:0;di=
rection:ltr">
<span style=3D"color:#412c0a;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica=
,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:20px;text-align:left;direction:ltr">Tom Atlee&#=
39;s Co-Intelligence Journal</span></h2></div></td></tr></tbody></table></d=
iv>
<div style=3D"padding-right:0;margin-bottom:0;clear:both;margin-top:0;paddi=
ng-top:0;padding-left:0;margin-left:0;padding-bottom:0;margin-right:0"><tab=
le style=3D"margin-bottom:auto;border-right-style:none;border-right-width:0=
;border-collapse:collapse;margin-top:auto;border-left-style:none;border-bot=
tom-style:none;border-left-width:0;border-bottom-width:0;border-top-style:n=
one;border-top-width:0;border-spacing:0;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto"=
width=3D"100%">
<tbody><tr><td align=3D"left" style=3D"padding-right:0;margin-bottom:0;clea=
r:both;margin-top:0;padding-top:0;padding-left:0;margin-left:0;padding-bott=
om:0;margin-right:0" width=3D"530"><table height=3D"104" align=3D"left" wid=
th=3D"180" style=3D"margin-bottom:0;border-right-style:solid;border-right-w=
idth:1px;border-top-color:#fdf2e4;border-collapse:collapse;margin-top:0;bor=
der-left-style:solid;border-bottom-style:solid;border-left-width:1px;border=
-bottom-width:1px;border-top-style:solid;border-top-width:1px;border-bottom=
-color:#fdf2e4;border-spacing:0;margin-left:0;border-right-color:#fdf2e4;ma=
rgin-right:0;border-left-color:#fdf2e4;float:left">
<tbody><tr><td align=3D"left" style=3D"padding-right:0;margin-bottom:0;clea=
r:both;margin-top:0;padding-top:0;padding-left:0;margin-left:0;padding-bott=
om:0;margin-right:0"><div style=3D"padding-right:0;margin-bottom:15px;margi=
n-top:3px;padding-top:0;padding-left:0;margin-left:0;padding-bottom:0;margi=
n-right:30px;float:left">
<a style=3D"color:#a51515" href=3D"https://go.madmimi.com/redirects/1387826=
501-83202bfabc6a3e2638f7c24111493154-4a43f07?pa=3D19310094770" target=3D"_b=
lank"><img src=3D"https://d1wh43egtz3cgo.cloudfront.net/promotion_images/04=
95/5409/original/Cii-logo-smaller.jpg" height=3D"104" alt=3D"Cii-logo-small=
er" style=3D"border-right-width:0;border-left-width:0;border-bottom-width:0=
;border-top-width:0" width=3D"150"></a><p align=3D"left" style=3D"clear:bot=
h;font-size:11px;line-height:1.5em;margin-bottom:1.5em;margin-top:3px;font-=
family:Georgia,Times,'Times New Roman',serif;padding-right:0;paddin=
g-top:0;padding-bottom:0;padding-left:0;margin-right:0;margin-left:0;color:=
#645234;text-align:left;font-style:italic;direction:ltr;width:150px">
. The Co-Intelligence Symbol .</p></div></td></tr></tbody></table><div styl=
e=3D"margin-top:0;margin-right:0;margin-bottom:0;margin-left:0;padding-left=
:0;padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0;padding-right:0"><p align=3D"left" style=
=3D"font-size:14px;line-height:1.5em;padding-right:0;margin-top:0;font-fami=
ly:Georgia,Times,'Times New Roman',serif;margin-bottom:1.3em;paddin=
g-top:0;margin-left:0;padding-left:0;margin-right:0;padding-bottom:0;color:=
#645234;vertical-align:baseline;text-align:left;direction:ltr">
<em style=3D"vertical-align:baseline;font-style:italic"><strong style=3D"fo=
nt-weight:bold;vertical-align:baseline">What this message is about:</strong=
> Optimism and pessimism are kind of like spectator sports: things are get=
ting better - or - things are getting worse. Passive hope is wishing or be=
lieving things will turn out ok. <em style=3D"vertical-align:baseline;font=
-style:italic"></em>Potent hope, in contrast, is active, intentional, and g=
rounded in the positive potential we can observe in people and the world. =
When we have potent hope, we don't claim to know what will happen, but =
we do claim good reason to take action and find rich meaning in our lives. =
This post concludes with more than two dozen inspiring quotes about potent=
hope.</em></p>
</div></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style=3D"padding-right:0;margin-=
bottom:0;clear:both;margin-top:0;padding-top:0;padding-left:0;margin-left:0=
;padding-bottom:0;margin-right:0"><table style=3D"margin-bottom:auto;border=
-right-style:none;border-right-width:0;border-collapse:collapse;margin-top:=
auto;border-left-style:none;border-bottom-style:none;border-left-width:0;bo=
rder-bottom-width:0;border-top-style:none;border-top-width:0;border-spacing=
:0;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto" width=3D"100%">
<tbody><tr><td align=3D"left" style=3D"padding-right:0;margin-bottom:0;clea=
r:both;margin-top:0;padding-top:0;padding-left:0;margin-left:0;padding-bott=
om:0;margin-right:0" width=3D"530"><div style=3D"margin-top:0;margin-right:=
0;margin-bottom:0;margin-left:0;padding-left:0;padding-top:0;padding-bottom=
:0;padding-right:0">
<h1 align=3D"left" style=3D"font-size:18px;line-height:1.3em;padding-right:=
0;margin-top:0;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-se=
rif;margin-bottom:10px;padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0;padding-left:0;margin=
-right:0;margin-left:0;color:#412c0a;text-align:left;direction:ltr">
<a style=3D"text-decoration:none;color:#a51515" href=3D"https://go.madmimi.=
com/redirects/1387826501-d8ac6df680e3e66a02b4c5829ce460c3-4a43f07?pa=3D1931=
0094770" target=3D"_blank">Potent hope dances with passive hope and spectat=
orism</a></h1>
</div></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style=3D"padding-right:0;margin-=
bottom:0;clear:both;margin-top:0;padding-top:0;padding-left:0;margin-left:0=
;padding-bottom:0;margin-right:0"><table style=3D"margin-bottom:auto;border=
-right-style:none;border-right-width:0;border-collapse:collapse;margin-top:=
auto;border-left-style:none;border-bottom-style:none;border-left-width:0;bo=
rder-bottom-width:0;border-top-style:none;border-top-width:0;border-spacing=
:0;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto" width=3D"100%">
<tbody><tr><td align=3D"left" style=3D"padding-right:0;margin-bottom:0;clea=
r:both;margin-top:0;padding-top:0;padding-left:0;margin-left:0;padding-bott=
om:0;margin-right:0" width=3D"530"><div style=3D"margin-top:0;margin-right:=
0;margin-bottom:0;margin-left:0;padding-left:0;padding-top:0;padding-bottom=
:0;padding-right:0">
<p align=3D"left" style=3D"font-size:14px;line-height:1.5em;padding-right:0=
;margin-top:0;font-family:Georgia,Times,'Times New Roman',serif;mar=
gin-bottom:1.3em;padding-top:0;margin-left:0;padding-left:0;margin-right:0;=
padding-bottom:0;color:#645234;vertical-align:baseline;text-align:left;dire=
ction:ltr">
=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0<span style=3D"font-size:12px">++++++++++++++=
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++</span></p><h2 align=3D"left" s=
tyle=3D"font-size:14px;line-height:1.2em;padding-right:0;margin-top:0;font-=
family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;margin-bottom:10=
px;padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0;padding-left:0;margin-right:0;margin-left=
:0;color:#412c0a;text-align:left;direction:ltr">
=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0<span style=3D"font-size:14px">Dec 2013-Jan 2014 C=
o-Intelligence Institute fundraiser progress report:</span></h2><p align=
=3D"left" style=3D"font-size:14px;line-height:1.5em;padding-right:0;margin-=
top:0;font-family:Georgia,Times,'Times New Roman',serif;margin-bott=
om:1.3em;padding-top:0;margin-left:0;padding-left:0;margin-right:0;padding-=
bottom:0;color:#645234;vertical-align:baseline;text-align:left;direction:lt=
r">
=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0<span style=3D"=
font-size:12px"><strong style=3D"font-weight:bold;vertical-align:baseline">=
Funds raised so far: $1440</strong><br> =C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=
=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0Our target: $20,000 // Percentage of needed f=
unds raised so far: 7.2%<br>
=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0People on our l=
ist: 1696 // Days remaining in this fundraiser: 39 <br> =C2=A0=C2=A0=
=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0Thank you so much to the 16=
people who have responded!</span></p><p align=3D"left" style=3D"font-size:=
14px;line-height:1.5em;padding-right:0;margin-top:0;font-family:Georgia,Tim=
es,'Times New Roman',serif;margin-bottom:1.3em;padding-top:0;margin=
-left:0;padding-left:0;margin-right:0;padding-bottom:0;color:#645234;vertic=
al-align:baseline;text-align:left;direction:ltr">
=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0<span style=3D"=
font-size:12px"><strong style=3D"font-weight:bold;vertical-align:baseline">=
If you value our work</strong>, please participate with a donation. <br>=
=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0See the end of =
this mailing for how to contribute<br>
=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0As you can see,=
we could really use your support.
<br>
=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++=
+++++++++++++</span></p></div></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style=3D=
"padding-right:0;margin-bottom:0;clear:both;margin-top:0;padding-top:0;padd=
ing-left:0;margin-left:0;padding-bottom:0;margin-right:0">
<table style=3D"margin-bottom:auto;border-right-style:none;border-right-wid=
th:0;border-collapse:collapse;margin-top:auto;border-left-style:none;border=
-bottom-style:none;border-left-width:0;border-bottom-width:0;border-top-sty=
le:none;border-top-width:0;border-spacing:0;margin-left:auto;margin-right:a=
uto" width=3D"100%">
<tbody><tr><td align=3D"left" style=3D"padding-right:0;margin-bottom:0;clea=
r:both;margin-top:0;padding-top:0;padding-left:0;margin-left:0;padding-bott=
om:0;margin-right:0" width=3D"530"><table height=3D"138" align=3D"left" wid=
th=3D"168" style=3D"margin-bottom:0;border-right-style:solid;border-right-w=
idth:1px;border-top-color:#fdf2e4;border-collapse:collapse;margin-top:0;bor=
der-left-style:solid;border-bottom-style:solid;border-left-width:1px;border=
-bottom-width:1px;border-top-style:solid;border-top-width:1px;border-bottom=
-color:#fdf2e4;border-spacing:0;margin-left:0;border-right-color:#fdf2e4;ma=
rgin-right:0;border-left-color:#fdf2e4;float:left">
<tbody><tr><td align=3D"left" style=3D"padding-right:0;margin-bottom:0;clea=
r:both;margin-top:0;padding-top:0;padding-left:0;margin-left:0;padding-bott=
om:0;margin-right:0"><div style=3D"padding-right:0;margin-bottom:15px;margi=
n-top:3px;padding-top:0;padding-left:0;margin-left:0;padding-bottom:0;margi=
n-right:30px;float:left">
<img src=3D"https://d1wh43egtz3cgo.cloudfront.net/promotion_images/0500/716=
5/original/220px-Yin_and_Yang.svg.png" height=3D"138" alt=3D"220px-Yin_and_=
Yang.svg" style=3D"border-right-width:0;border-left-width:0;border-bottom-w=
idth:0;border-top-width:0" width=3D"138"><p align=3D"left" style=3D"clear:b=
oth;font-size:11px;line-height:1.5em;margin-bottom:1.5em;margin-top:3px;fon=
t-family:Georgia,Times,'Times New Roman',serif;padding-right:0;padd=
ing-top:0;padding-bottom:0;padding-left:0;margin-right:0;margin-left:0;colo=
r:#645234;text-align:left;font-style:italic;direction:ltr;width:138px">
The "Interbeing" of "better and better" and "worse=
and worse"</p></div></td></tr></tbody></table><div style=3D"margin-to=
p:0;margin-right:0;margin-bottom:0;margin-left:0;padding-left:0;padding-top=
:0;padding-bottom:0;padding-right:0">
<p align=3D"left" style=3D"font-size:14px;line-height:1.5em;padding-right:0=
;margin-top:0;font-family:Georgia,Times,'Times New Roman',serif;mar=
gin-bottom:1.3em;padding-top:0;margin-left:0;padding-left:0;margin-right:0;=
padding-bottom:0;color:#645234;vertical-align:baseline;text-align:left;dire=
ction:ltr">
Dear friends,</p><p align=3D"left" style=3D"font-size:14px;line-height:1.5e=
m;padding-right:0;margin-top:0;font-family:Georgia,Times,'Times New Rom=
an',serif;margin-bottom:1.3em;padding-top:0;margin-left:0;padding-left:=
0;margin-right:0;padding-bottom:0;color:#645234;vertical-align:baseline;tex=
t-align:left;direction:ltr">
Given the number of discouraging trends in the world, it is easy to feel ho=
peless and pessimistic. So I want to take a few moments to look at these v=
ery human feelings - optimism and pessimism, hope and hopelessness.</p>
<p align=3D"left" style=3D"font-size:14px;line-height:1.5em;padding-right:0=
;margin-top:0;font-family:Georgia,Times,'Times New Roman',serif;mar=
gin-bottom:1.3em;padding-top:0;margin-left:0;padding-left:0;margin-right:0;=
padding-bottom:0;color:#645234;vertical-align:baseline;text-align:left;dire=
ction:ltr">
I'll start with optimism and pessimism. It feels to me that both these=
attitudes pull us into spectatorism - like watching sports teams out on th=
e field. Will the good forces or the bad ones win? Optimists say "Go=
od will be the winner and things will turn out well." Pessimists say =
"You're crazy. Be real! Things are gonna turn out real bad, as us=
ual!"</p>
<p align=3D"left" style=3D"font-size:14px;line-height:1.5em;padding-right:0=
;margin-top:0;font-family:Georgia,Times,'Times New Roman',serif;mar=
gin-bottom:1.3em;padding-top:0;margin-left:0;padding-left:0;margin-right:0;=
padding-bottom:0;color:#645234;vertical-align:baseline;text-align:left;dire=
ction:ltr">
Well, first of all, we never really know ahead of time how things will turn=
out. And how they turn out has so much to do with what WE do: In a very =
real sense, <a style=3D"text-decoration:none;color:#a51515" href=3D"https:/=
/go.madmimi.com/redirects/1387826501-acf41eedc9007233d726ec5615a2b665-4a43f=
07?pa=3D19310094770" target=3D"_blank">we are always participants no matter=
what we do or don't do.</a> Even when we are bystanders or inactive w=
e are never JUST spectators, and I think we'd be wise to cop to that fa=
ct. Realizing we're involved, willy nilly, may make it harder to buy i=
nto the righteous comfort of traditional optimism or pessimism, but it cert=
ainly brings us home to reality.</p>
<p align=3D"left" style=3D"font-size:14px;line-height:1.5em;padding-right:0=
;margin-top:0;font-family:Georgia,Times,'Times New Roman',serif;mar=
gin-bottom:1.3em;padding-top:0;margin-left:0;padding-left:0;margin-right:0;=
padding-bottom:0;color:#645234;vertical-align:baseline;text-align:left;dire=
ction:ltr">
There's another level of complexity in this. Let's check out that =
old formula about how the optimist thinks "The glass is half full"=
; and the pessimist thinks "The glass is half empty". Does that =
actually capture our experience of most situations we find ourselves in - o=
ne glass with four ounces of liquid and four ounces of air? It seems to me=
that most situations involve a LOT of glasses - and they're in every i=
maginable state of fullness and emptiness. Confronted by this, optimists g=
et busy pointing out all the mostly full glasses while pessimists make a bi=
g deal of all the mostly empty ones. (The real test of course is what the =
optimists do with glasses that are really almost empty and what the pessimi=
sts do with glasses that are almost overflowing. Usually they just ignore =
them!)</p>
<p align=3D"left" style=3D"font-size:14px;line-height:1.5em;padding-right:0=
;margin-top:0;font-family:Georgia,Times,'Times New Roman',serif;mar=
gin-bottom:1.3em;padding-top:0;margin-left:0;padding-left:0;margin-right:0;=
padding-bottom:0;color:#645234;vertical-align:baseline;text-align:left;dire=
ction:ltr">
It seems that optimism and pessimism have more to do with our mood than wit=
h reality. When I'm in a dark mood, I'm with the pessimists and I =
want to pull every optimist down. Cynicism helps a lot. When I'm in a=
bright mood, I want to lift every pessimist up: "Look at the bright s=
ide!" In both cases, as a (sort of) normal human being, I'm tryin=
g to recruit some company for my side of reality - or at least feel more ri=
ghteous about my half of the truth.</p>
<p align=3D"left" style=3D"font-size:14px;line-height:1.5em;padding-right:0=
;margin-top:0;font-family:Georgia,Times,'Times New Roman',serif;mar=
gin-bottom:1.3em;padding-top:0;margin-left:0;padding-left:0;margin-right:0;=
padding-bottom:0;color:#645234;vertical-align:baseline;text-align:left;dire=
ction:ltr">
But ultimately, when I'm being a bit more sane, it's really clear t=
o me that reality is more complex than that: We face an abundance of glass=
es with all kinds of levels of fullness and emptiness, some getting fuller =
and some getting emptier. So, although both optimists and pessimists are d=
emonstrably right, the incompleteness of their rightness makes it hard for =
me to be a true believer in either view. That is where my own guiding prin=
ciple in such matters - noted in previous posts - comes from. It seems tot=
ally obvious to me that things are getting better and better and worse and =
worse faster and faster simultaneously. As absurd as it sounds, it seems k=
inda true.</p>
<p align=3D"left" style=3D"font-size:14px;line-height:1.5em;padding-right:0=
;margin-top:0;font-family:Georgia,Times,'Times New Roman',serif;mar=
gin-bottom:1.3em;padding-top:0;margin-left:0;padding-left:0;margin-right:0;=
padding-bottom:0;color:#645234;vertical-align:baseline;text-align:left;dire=
ction:ltr">
So for those reasons - both the spectatorism and the half-truthiness - I=
9;m not really a fan of either optimism or pessimism - even though I find m=
yself indulging in them both many times each week.</p><p align=3D"left" sty=
le=3D"font-size:14px;line-height:1.5em;padding-right:0;margin-top:0;font-fa=
mily:Georgia,Times,'Times New Roman',serif;margin-bottom:1.3em;padd=
ing-top:0;margin-left:0;padding-left:0;margin-right:0;padding-bottom:0;colo=
r:#645234;vertical-align:baseline;text-align:left;direction:ltr">
That brings me to the subject of HOPE.</p><p align=3D"left" style=3D"font-s=
ize:14px;line-height:1.5em;padding-right:0;margin-top:0;font-family:Georgia=
,Times,'Times New Roman',serif;margin-bottom:1.3em;padding-top:0;ma=
rgin-left:0;padding-left:0;margin-right:0;padding-bottom:0;color:#645234;ve=
rtical-align:baseline;text-align:left;direction:ltr">
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