redbaron338's picture

redbaron338

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Where Do You Find Hope?

     This Sunday, December 1, begins the season of Advent.  In many churches this day will be marked by lighting the first candle in the Advent wreath.  For many, this first candles will be a candle for Hope.

   What is the Hope for which this candle is lit?  Where do you find Hope in your life, your community, your church, or your world? 

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chansen's picture

chansen

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In medical advancements, in technologies that allow people to know those on opposite sides of the world better and innoculate themselves from their governments making the other side out to be evil, and by children waking up and discarding the religions of their parents.

redhead's picture

redhead

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Hope  dwells within oneself.  Medical and technological advancements may well extend a physical presence, but hope comes from within a person, and is not aided by any external knowledge, governance or technology. And hope drives inspiration.

chansen's picture

chansen

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My point is that technologies are helping us get to know our supposed "enemies" better. The more you know about people, the more you realize they are a lot like you, in that they want a good life and a future for their kids, just like you do. When people are not primarily focused on their families, it's because of some stupid religious or political ideology. That's why I'm hopeful that children continue to kick their faith to the curb.

Jim Kenney's picture

Jim Kenney

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Hope is found in the birth of each new day, each sunrise, with possibilities for something new and possibilities for something good.  Hope is found in memories, individual and shared, of overcoming or surviving past challenges.  Hope is found in dreams and visions.  In this community and congregation, hope is found in two new participants in our congregational life taking on leadership in planning family oriented events starting in January.  Like Chansen, I find hope in communication that undermines the efforts of governments and corporations to control and manipulate people, though not as effectively as I would like.

Arminius's picture

Arminius

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Where do I find Hope?

 

On the Trans Canada, about 100 km east of Vancouver.wink

 

Or do you mean hope?

 

Like redhead, I find hope within, together with faith and love.

 

somegalfromcan's picture

somegalfromcan

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LOL @ Arminius. I'm reminded of a shirt that I once saw. On it there was a picture of a map of BC. There were three cities marked on it: Victoria, Vancouver and Hope - and they were all included in a white circle. The rest of the province was coloured in (I seem to recall that it was red). The caption on the shirt read: "Beyond Hope."

somegalfromcan's picture

somegalfromcan

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Where do I find hope? I find it in new ideas, in the hopes and dreams of children, in medical advancements, in people working together, in new friendships and new discoveries.

Inukshuk's picture

Inukshuk

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I find hope in creativity ~ particularly the creative thinking of children and others who think 'outside the box'.  I find hope in acts of compassion and acts of forgiveness.  I find hope in those who have the courage to interfere with an injustice.

Mendalla's picture

Mendalla

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In many places.

 

In the human capacity to love and care for each other.

 

In our ability to understand our universe and use that knowledge for our benefit.

 

In the fact that even arch-capitalists like Bill Gates and Warren Buffett recognize the need to use their resources to benefit others (in fact, are better at recognizing and promoting this than a lot of politicians and activists).

 

In seeing my son grow up and learn, realizing that he is the future.

 

In the fact that the universe is so vast and resilient that no matter how badly we screw up, it will go on with or without us and there will likely be life in some form, whether or not it is us.

 

Mendalla

 

Arminius's picture

Arminius

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So redbaron's question really is: "What do you hope for?"

 

 

I hope that we, Homo sapiens sapiens, find out who and what we ultimately are—and act on it.

 

If you ask me who and what we ultimately are, then I would say that we are creators in the image of the ultimate creator. The action we engage in would then be creative action in the spirit of being part of the ultimate creator and ITs creative process.

 

 

 

 

 

 

carolla's picture

carolla

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coincidentally, after reading this thread, I watched this video - in which a remarkable elderly woman says "music helps me have hope ... music is god" - which I found quite profound. 

 

http://www.upworthy.com/she-was-40-when-the-nazis-took-her-now-shes-outlived-them-all-has-something-incredible-to-say-3?g=2

 

(sorry - I don't know how to embed a video here - maybe someone else can help) 

Pinga's picture

Pinga

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Where do I find hope?

 

I find hope in the people on the fringes trying to figure out ways to do things which are non-standard.

 

(I find joy in music, not sure about hope?)

 

I find hope in the way the sun comes up in the morning. 

I find hope in the little stores that pop up, the people who work hard and care about what they are doing.

stardust's picture

stardust

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See video

stardust's picture

stardust

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See video

carolla's picture

carolla

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thanks stardust!  She's quite an extraordinary person, isn't she?

stardust's picture

stardust

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You're welcome Carolla. Thanks for the link.

 

I enjoy hearing her stories and philosophy.

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