Radical Hope

Reflecting on the conversation between Junot Diaz and Krista Tippett, I am surprised how accurate Junot's description of our disjointed society is, and how active I am in the institution he describes. I am referring specifically to the pessimism that plagues us, as a result of our economic system and market, pitting neighbor against neighbor, and leading us to believe that success is based on an individual basis alone. I realize that this is how I think of success, and it is rather disturbing to me, because I know this is not how I should think. Though I am a very optimistic person, I do find myself wary of others, and in any situation, I am prepared to fend for myself. Maybe this stems from being an only child, but I believe it runs deeper than that into our society's rejection of vulnerability and lowering our defenses. I am also surprised at the fact that although people were outraged and took to the streets when Trump was first elected, and do still remain so, the intensity of resistance seems to have gone down, and our current political offices have been able to move forward with some horrible measures. And it seems that many of privilege have retreated back into a space of comfortability. I see the inhuman represented all around me, and in the way others behave towards one another, and the way our leaders behave (often recklessly and without thought), as if there is no consequence to their actions, either to them or to those around them, or those they even lead. So my first question is, if we are totally distanced from one another as individuals, afraid to connect, how on earth do we even begin to come together? What are the first steps to take in a society that is so disjointed that it is hard to even see where connection could begin? Junot also mentions how we are afraid of our multiplicity, but it is our multiplicity that makes us special. How do we shift a mindset to enable people to see others not as alien, but as special and having something to offer? I also wonder what part technology has to do it all of this and how we can begin to use platforms that are more often used to attack one another to help one another instead? How does one shift mentalities of hatred to ones of love? In our current climate, that seems absolutely impossible and hopeless, and we seem to only be shifting in polar opposite directions. At this point, my vision for radical hope is one where people could at least listen to one another, with the intention of at least finding some middle ground, and for those in positions of privilege to not sink back, but to listen and stand up with those who have been oppressed for too long, to say "This is enough."