2021-12-16
There are two conflicting viewpoints about whether the future is pre-ordained or malleable.
Those who think "it's too hard, whatever I do it won't make any difference", and those who take the view that "if we all act together, we can change the course of history".
The huge demonstrations in London (I know, I was there) and elsewhere around the country and around the globe earlier this year are testament to what we can achieve when we all come out of our comfort-zones and come together to make a difference. At that first demo nobody knew how many would turn up, but we turned up anyway and gave ourselves (and the world!) a huge surprise.
What does it take? Faith in our fellow men and women (and anyone else who feels excluded by those classifications - forgive me for not keeping up).
The Brownstone Institute offers us much the same message this morning, framing it as the difference between "sin of despair and the virtue of hope". I think that's a good way of putting it.
" ... ultimately about more than that. It is about the kind of lives we want to live and the societies we want to inhabit"
We just have to do something positive, to show others of like mind that they are not alone.
As Churchill was apt to note on his orders: "Action this day"!
Wed are not all in a position to do a great deal, but we each have something within our power, even if it is simply the maintenance of a cheery disposition and a propensity to say a kind word in all situations.
