Charleston writes, “Third on the ladder is the rung of hope, because hope is what emerges when you mix faith with blessing.” And for Charleston this is essentially social. This is the step where we identify a common light, all working together for the good of all. “As members of the tribe of the human beings,” writes Charleston, “we hope for good health, for a better life, and for a bright future for our children. Hope is generic.”
That’s a beautiful image, but I’m not completely convinced that hope is shared at the level that would ground practical action. Presumably, for instance, everyone hopes for a day when no one is unhoused. But we might have such different understandings of the causes of homelessness, and we might place such varied weight on the values that we share, that our “practical hopes,” and the policies that embody them, intractably diverge. How can we pull together when what one person understands as “support,” another person sees as “enabling”?
I have no idea how to answer that, but I suspect an adequate response will include acknowledging the complexity of hope in a way that allows us to recognize that people who don’t endorse our specific action-steps might share our broader vision. That won’t get us all on the same task forces, but it might help us to appreciate the goodwill of those who oppose changes that we’re working to enact.
Dona, when we met for coffee and planning the book study you mentioned your thoughts on our society not having a shared hope. I have continued to contemplate this idea over the last month. My conclusion is that my "hope" includes the hope of a shared vision of who to treat our neighbors. I have to believe that we all strive for a world that Jesus called for in the Bible. A world where we are all treated the way we want to be treated. A world where we care for the "lesser" in our community. I need to hold this faith and hope in my heart otherwise I would feel overwhelmed with the unfairness of our world.