A Dealer in Hope

Sometimes we find it difficult to remain optimistic. We question our efforts because the grim reality stares us hard in the face. The kind of reality that is in complete contradiction to what we had envisioned. And for once, doubt creeps in with its dark shadow of despair.
A little motivation goes a long way in such moments. I have heard some of Obama’s speeches and the one thing I have found consistent in all of them is hope. He gives you hope. No wonder then that he titled his autobiography, The Audacity of Hope.
On the eve of the Boston marathon bombings, he said at a prayer meeting to the people of Boston, “...what the perpetrators of such senseless violence -- these small, stunted individuals who would destroy instead of build, and think somehow that makes them important -- that’s what they don’t understand.  Our faith in each other, our love for each other, our love for country, our common creed that cuts across whatever superficial differences there may be -- that is our power.  That’s our strength.
That’s why a bomb can’t beat us.  That’s why we don’t hunker down.  That’s why we don’t cower in fear.  We carry on.  We race. We strive.  We build, and we work, and we love -- and we raise our kids to do the same.  And we come together to celebrate life, and to walk our cities, and to cheer for our teams.  When the Sox and Celtics and Patriots or Bruins are champions again -- to the chagrin of New York and Chicago fans -- the crowds will gather and watch a parade go down Boylston Street. And this time next year, on the third Monday in April, the world will return to this great American city to run harder than ever, and to cheer even louder, for the 118th Boston Marathon.  Bet on it.”
Now, keep in mind that it must have been unimaginably terrible for the people who had lost their loved ones or were in any way affected by the bombings. And what Obama was trying to do was to tell them and everyone else in the state that this is not us. We don’t cower. We don’t get intimidated by these petty maniacs of destruction. That we will not let them overpower us. Not psychologically or in any other way.
And that reminder is a great source of strength. I love one of Obama’s phrases, “this isn’t us”. Our self-image is very important. How we see ourselves. That saying, “A leader is a dealer in hope” isn’t an empty one. It has a deep meaning to it. The world will go to the dogs the day we decide to give up on what is the best in us, i.e., our beliefs, dreams and our hopes. Sure enough, you will have a truckload of data indicating otherwise. But we can control that. Because it all begins with how we look towards the future. How we perceive we want things to be.
That is why you will never hear any of the great leaders speaking in a pessimist’s tone. If at all they may sound that way at times, it is only with the intention to give caution and not cause alarm, panic or despair.
Perhaps, despair is our biggest enemy. The act of losing hope. We have a chance only as long as we don’t give in to despair. No matter where our circumstances may place us, we have the power to decide how we respond to them. I love this scene from the Lord of the Rings 1 where Frodo tells Gandalf, "I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened."
And Gandalf replies, "So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are forces at work in this world Frodo, besides the will of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the ring. In which case, you were also meant to have it. And that is an encouraging thought."
Indeed, it is

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