February 3, 2025

A hopemonger | LISB

"What I want is so simple I almost can't say it--elementary kindness. Enough to eat. Enough to go around. The possibility that kids may grow up to be neither the destroyers nor the destroyed. That's about it." - Barbara Kingsolver, Animal Dreams

Hey y’all, 

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been struggling with how to show up here. The onslaught of information, the political chaos, the dramatic polarization has been disorienting, and while I do not want to catastrophize, neither do I want to be those Instagram folk in 2020, acting like everything was OK, when it clearly was not. It’s been rough to get my footing - asking myself what is mine to do at this time, in this place. 

Over the last week I have given this a lot of thought, and here is where I am. The thing about principles is that they do not change - otherwise, they are just opinions. I am not an unbiased journalist  - I am a hopemonger, filled with biases and positions. Here are a few of them most pertinent to this newsletter:

I may be wrong about any of this, but I am not in doubt.

1. Your ability to survive in a world filled with ugliness is directly related to how much beauty you have in your life. Like vitamin C, your body both requires it, and cannot store it, and so must be exposed to it often. Were you planning to walk across the desert tomorrow, you should gorge yourself with as much water as possible today. Likewise, tomorrow you will be confronted with, and surrounded by, acts of unspeakable cruelty. Fill yourself with beauty in order to have a well to draw from. 

2. Hope is a real thing, but it is a verb, not a noun. Hope is a screaming rat, holding on with chipped teeth, matted hair, and broken fingernails. Hope must be constantly reinforced and supported, as it is more than an orientation - it is a practice. 

3. Until such time as the world quits turning, I intend to operate under the assumption it will still turn. It may well be true that one day, abject surrender is our only choice for survival. But today is not that day. 

4. Humans are amazing. As a species we made art long before we planted crops, beauty being that important to us. While we have the capacity for violence and cruelty, we also are capable of compassion, empathy, and kindness. There is ample evidence for both camps, and you tend to find what you are looking for. 

5. The world is a fascinating place, and is worth saving. 

As long as I have the ability, I will be here, sharing reasons I have found for hope, expressions of joy, and hints of beauty. I’m just a balding dude with a keyboard and an internet connection, but I believe in you, and in us. I believe we can do hard things. I believe we can be the means by which the world as it is becomes the world as it should be. We may not be all that we can be, or all that we once were, but we are not powerless.  

Tho' much is taken, much abides; and tho'

We are not now that strength which in old days

Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;

One equal temper of heroic hearts,

Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will

To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.

Five Beautiful Things

Adrienne Marie Brown has a brutiful (brutal and beautiful) poem, it is our turn to carry the world, paired with a ritual to remind us of our “why”.

The Big Picture has their 2024 photo contest winners up, and they are amazing, as always. 

This article from Psychology Today points out that some of what we are experiencing is a warfare tactic called Resilience Targeting, and it includes a list of tools to combat it. For example:

Display photos of loved ones, ancestors, and inspiring figures in your home and workspace. You may want to put together a collection of photos of loved ones in a place you see every day. These are your reasons to keep going.

This kid has secret passageways leading to her room, and I’m jealous AF. 

Stuart Dunkel is a painter and musician who is most noted for his mouse artwork. Yes, you read that right. 

Members Only

Membership starts at $5 a month and pays for my labor and keeps this newsletter free (and ad-free) for everyone else. And along the way, you will get occasional goodies and exclusive weekly essays -  like the first draft of an essay this past Saturday about refusing to surrender in advance. 

FYI

There are several projects happening right now, and a big one is coming next month. 

I’m currently dusting the cobwebs off my long-neglected YouTube channel for an upcoming project, and last night I posted a reading of the most viral thing I ever wrote, Grief Groceries. 

I’m currently blogging at hughlh.com and you can sign up here to get an email on Saturday morning with links to that week’s posts.

Thank you for reading, for sharing with your friends, and for all the ways you help me show up in the world. A special shout out to our members, who make sure this is free for everyone.

Take care of yourself, and each other.  

Hugh

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