There is an irking in my soul that grows louder each passing moment, and I know yours does as well. For too long we have sat dormant, silent, yet without idle minds. And it is with these minds that we can change a future we have long thought dead and gone. But we must take that most fearful first step, for if we do not, if we stay motionless and discontent, if we give into the fear that paralyzes our greatest and highest aspirations, we will forever be condemned to where we stand at this moment. We will be forever stuck in a hopeless and cruel world where the poor and disenfranchised stay so and where selfishness and greed grow and fester in every facet of our lives. The first step we must take is to realize that we all have the ability, ingenuity, and power to make a difference, not only in our lives, but also in the lives of those around us. Once we do this and possess the hope that it brings, then there is nothing so possible as to change our world for the better.
Yes, I know this sounds like lofty, idealistic rhetoric that sows so much doubt in your mind. It has sewn that doubt in my mind a hundred times over. I have let it twist my arm, silence my thoughts, and foster an internal, personal war. I have long wanted to live up to this idealism, this idea that if we simply believe in ourselves we can make better what we see as failure of our creeds, covenants, and contracts made between ourselves, but for so long it has been repeated that this is not possible. Over and over again I have heard voices of cynicism, hate, and division and so then, I felt no choice but to fall in line. How could I do otherwise, I thought, when there is no voice of optimism and hope? It is no wonder I laugh when the rare whisper makes it way through the noise; it is foreign and strange and so seemingly unlikely. Optimism, hope, and my own ability to change have all been myths for years. In these respects, my thoughts were the same as yours. We are on a collision course and cannot waiver from it. There was no hope.
But does this make sense? How can it, when this pessimism feels so wrong? I sat alone many nights wondering what this empty pit in the bottom of my soul was. For the longest time I believed it was because everything in my personal, as well as observable, world was heading toward the brick wall and there was nothing I could do to stop it. Yet at the same time, I felt as though I was being pulled toward some type of action, I had a deep desire to do something that I just could not ignore. Once I understood and fully accepted that I could not stay as apathetic as I had been, I realized what that pit in my soul was. It was the incessant negativity of those that insist we are doomed to failure, a tragic species with an inherent self-destruct mechanism. Further, it was my acceptance of these beliefs. I am guilty of buying into cynicism and hate, into apathy and the idea that we are naturally a selfish race with no hope of self-correction. It was much easier this way, all I had to do was sit back and wait for the world to burn. It was going to no matter what I did.
Despite this though, I felt a natural inclination to not sit idly by. My mind swirled with thoughts, ideas, with conversations I read of in books from thousands of years ago, with an empathy that I could not help but feel, and with a feeling that I, that we, could be better. After all, despite the constant threat of death, poverty, and destruction do we not all have an inclination to make things better for everyone? Do we not all have a desire to make our worlds more peaceful, more hopeful? Yes, we do. We have a natural aversion to those things that cause us pain. And this is what showed me that the cynics were wrong. All the numbness and tragedy in our world cannot silence the internal struggle to make things better.
But what is it that makes us move, to actually act on our inherent good? Oh, you know. It the very thing that causes you and I to doubt. For so long the negativity has drowned out the voices of idealism; of hope, of peace, of optimism, of equality, and of opportunity for all. But it is that very rhetoric and thought that makes us move, that makes us believe that we are of value and truly have a say in how this all turns out. So, my friend, do not doubt anymore. This idealistic thought I speak of is not just for poets and dreamers, it is for all to take hold and advantage of. And if you do, I promise that the apathy and the hate and the anger that you feel will cease to be. It is too weak when it is confronted by hope and the realization that we have a power inside of us so immeasurable to change the world around us for the better. That is always the first step, and fear has no chance over it
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