But...There Is Still Hope!

I am big fan of The Lord Of The Rings, mainly because of the quotes that I believe are powerful throughout the film. One in particular from Arwen, which states in the middle of the most horrific part of the movie, when millions upon millions of those demon-like warriors coming to invade she says, "There is still hope".

In my morning mediation, I read a quote from ‘Fratelli tutti, where Pope Francis says, “Hope speaks to us of something deeply rooted in every human heart, independently of our circumstances and historical conditioning. Hope speaks to us of a thirst, an aspiration, a longing for a life, of fulfillment, a desire to achieve great things, things that fill our heart and lift our spirit to lofty realities like truth, goodness, beauty, justice and love… Hope is bold; it can look beyond personal convenience, the petty securities and compensations which limit our horizon, and it can open us to grand ideas that make life more beautiful and worthwhile.” There is so much to digest in that statement.

When even in the darkest days, where you really feel like life as you know it has ended, there is still hope. I have been wrestling with the current events of the war in Ukraine. Seeing grandmothers (which look like how mine was), making molotov cocktails rather than caring for their grandchildren, truly breaks my heart. Hope is what is driving these people to take up arms, to defend their country, their way of life. It is not hate rather hope, to see once again their country free, with happy people deciding their own future.

I believe hope is deeply intertwined with imagination. When we see in our mind something beautiful, something grand that makes life worthwhile, we keep living, we keep motivated. Let us imagine these lofty ideas, these images of a beautiful Ukraine, and unite with these people in our imagination, who even though surrounded by most sides by an invading army, can see there is still hope!