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Tag(s): Children; Courage; Disinformation; Energy; Faith; Fear; Flags; Freedom; History; History; (more...) Hope Hopefulness; Ideas; Ignorance; Injustice; Liberty; Nature; People; People; Power; Propaganda; Spirit; State; Success; Terrorism; Truth; Work (less...)
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December 14, 2007 at 09:45:23

Headlined on 12/14/07:
Hope in a Time of Hopelessness

by George Washington Page 3 of 3 page(s)

www.opednews.com

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Don't lose hope. When it gets darkest the stars come out.
- Unknown

Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.
- Dale Carnegie

The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.
- Winston Churchill

The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function. One should, for example, be able to see that things are hopeless and yet be determined to make them otherwise.
- F. Scott Fitzgerald

It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.
- Robert F . Kennedy

1 | 2 | 3

http://georgewashington.blogspot.com/

George Washington

George Washington is a pen name. I am using the pen name, with the approval of the publisher, because I have received death threats due to my 9/11 research and writing. I am using a pen name to protect myself and my family.

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13 comments

George Washington

George Washington is a pen name. I am using the pen name, with the approval of the publisher, because I have received death threats due to my 9/11 research and writing. I am using a pen name to protect myself and my family.
George WashingtonGeorge Washington

George Washington is a pen name. I am using the pen name, with the approval of the publisher, because I have received death threats due to my 9/11 research and writing. I am using a pen name to protect myself and my family.

I'm writing

a new essay on power -- what real power is, why it is the citizens who hold it and not the government, etc.

If anyone knows good quotes regarding power, please post them here.

by George Washington (68 articles, 18 quicklinks, 139 diaries, 180 comments) on Friday, December 14, 2007 at 12:37:25 PM

Just a person that knows he matters and placing more on acceptance than expectation... And while this explanation is viewed apparently by some as limited, here's some more personal information that those same some believe I "need" to testify that I can post here at OpEdNews.com:
I have an undergraduate degree (BA even - not a foppish BS) in biology/environmental science with an emphasis on environmental/ecological systems (they are, like, um, so complex), a master's degree in public he...

to see more of bio, click on member name
Tom MurphyJust a person that knows he matters and placing more on acceptance than expectation... And while this explanation is viewed apparently by some as limited, here's some more personal information that those same some believe I "need" to testify that I can post here at OpEdNews.com:
I have an undergraduate degree (BA even - not a foppish BS) in biology/environmental science with an emphasis on environmental/ecological systems (they are, like, um, so complex), a master's degree in public he...

to see more of bio, click on member name

Not quite "power" but they are poignant

"Unwavering convictions can be a more dangerous foe of truth than lies," and...

"In politics, as in religion, there is a holy mistaken zeal in which we persuade others in order to convince ourselves," - http://spiralcircle.com/quotes.htm .

by Tom Murphy (3 articles, 3 quicklinks, 9 diaries, 1546 comments) on Friday, December 14, 2007 at 1:40:33 PM

Currently I'm a cartoonist and contributing writer for The New Orleans Levee.
Mr MCurrently I'm a cartoonist and contributing writer for The New Orleans Levee.

Hope

Hope makes for a good breakfast and a bad supper. And right now we're pretty much into the mid-night snack.

I don't know if hope is what keeps me going as much as what I feel compelled to do.

by Mr M (4 articles, 0 quicklinks, 9 diaries, 1256 comments) on Friday, December 14, 2007 at 4:24:49 PM

Geery lived off the grid for 15 years in an earth-sheltered, solar heated home, while his kids learned in school that solar energy isn't feasible. NAPTA hosts a page on Geery's foibles in education, and explains how he got his butt fired from a tenured teaching position. Here's a short clip of his most recent solar contraption; for more on that project, and Geery's contention that the Wright Brothers took a wrong turn, please visit his airship page (hyperblimp.com). Apparently, Geery is the only...

to see more of bio, click on member name
Daniel GeeryGeery lived off the grid for 15 years in an earth-sheltered, solar heated home, while his kids learned in school that solar energy isn't feasible. NAPTA hosts a page on Geery's foibles in education, and explains how he got his butt fired from a tenured teaching position. Here's a short clip of his most recent solar contraption; for more on that project, and Geery's contention that the Wright Brothers took a wrong turn, please visit his airship page (hyperblimp.com). Apparently, Geery is the only...

to see more of bio, click on member name

Great article, George

And I hope the hell you're right! Well, actually, I know you are, and I greatly appreciate the homework you did for this article.

I too get hope from kids. Just today I was teaching a class of about thirty kids about rivers, in a museum where I work part time. They listened with rapt attention, asked penetrating questions, were thoroughly engaged in the topic of rivers and water quality. I see this reaction time and time again with children from all walks of life, and have seen it with kids from every corner of the world.

We have no choice but to make the effort to improve the world for the next generation; if you're feeling depressed--and believe me, I am at times--it's because you're not focused enough on what you might be doing to improve things. And in that process of improving things, becoming part of something larger than yourself.

The ultimate point of hope is that our species may continue, in a vastly improved, interconnected, caring, compassionate, intelligent social setting, wherein we relate to nature with respect and awe, and treat each other with kindness.

Is that really so difficult a concept?

by Daniel Geery (26 articles, 58 quicklinks, 121 diaries, 681 comments) on Friday, December 14, 2007 at 6:29:44 PM

Erik Larson, Human Being and concerned Citizen. Member of 911Truth.org Advisory Board. Opinions expressed here are my own. I only advocate and practice non-violent methods of social and political activism & change.

Recommended links:
9/11 Family Steering Committee Review of the 9/11 Commission Report

http://www.911truth.org/downloads/Family%20Steering%20Cmte%20review%20of%20Report.pdf

JusticeFor911.org Complaint and Petition
http://justicefor91...

to see more of bio, click on member name
Better World OrderErik Larson, Human Being and concerned Citizen. Member of 911Truth.org Advisory Board. Opinions expressed here are my own. I only advocate and practice non-violent methods of social and political activism & change.

Recommended links:
9/11 Family Steering Committee Review of the 9/11 Commission Report

http://www.911truth.org/downloads/Family%20Steering%20Cmte%20review%20of%20Report.pdf

JusticeFor911.org Complaint and Petition
http://justicefor91...

to see more of bio, click on member name

power links

With Power Comes a Selfish Point of View

www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/25/AR2007112501236.html

"These studies show that leaders often emerge from communities not because they are ruthless, but because they are skilled at managing social relationships.

Something happens to people once they acquire power, however, and the transformation appears to be psychological. Adam Galinsky, a social psychologist at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, recently had volunteers describe either a situation in which they had power over someone else or a situation in which they felt powerless. Those asked to remember a situation in which they felt powerful were made to feel even more powerful by being given control of the distribution of goodies, whereas the volunteers asked to remember a powerless situation were further reminded of their powerlessness when they were asked to estimate how many goodies they expected to receive.

When Galinsky and his colleagues asked all the volunteers to draw the letter E on their foreheads with a marker, those who had been made to feel powerless were three times more likely to draw the E so that it was legible to someone facing them. Those made to feel powerful, however, drew the letter so that it looked correct from their internal perspective but was a mirror image from the point of view of someone facing them.

Galinsky's point, which he noted in a study published in the journal Psychological Science, is that volunteers made to feel powerful, even in a trivial laboratory experiment, almost instantly lose the ability to see things from other people's points of view."

9/11 thought police piece, from the same guy

Persistence of Myths Could Alter Public Policy Approach

www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/03/AR2007090300933_pf.html

by Better World Order (4 articles, 408 quicklinks, 26 diaries, 875 comments) on Friday, December 14, 2007 at 7:37:04 PM

Rob Kall is executive editor and publisher of OpEdNews.com, President of Futurehealth, Inc, inventor . He is also published regularly on the Huffingtonpost.com. He is a frequent Speaker on Politics, Impeachment, The art, science and power of story, heroes and the hero's journey, Positive Psychology, Stress, Biofeedback and a wide range of subjects. He is a campaign consultant specializing in tapping the power of stories for issue positioning, stump speeches and debates. He recently retired as o...

to see more of bio, click on member name
Rob KallRob Kall is executive editor and publisher of OpEdNews.com, President of Futurehealth, Inc, inventor . He is also published regularly on the Huffingtonpost.com. He is a frequent Speaker on Politics, Impeachment, The art, science and power of story, heroes and the hero's journey, Positive Psychology, Stress, Biofeedback and a wide range of subjects. He is a campaign consultant specializing in tapping the power of stories for issue positioning, stump speeches and debates. He recently retired as o...

to see more of bio, click on member name

my take on hope from a few years ago.

I collect quotations too ( http://www.quotationscentral.com ) but I don't have ones on Hope on my site. I checked my hard drive and found a nine page file of quotations on hope, and the last one was something I wrote:

Hope is an energy, a metaphysical, spiritual resource we hold within us-- a small fire that keeps burning when it seems cold and dark around us, when things seem to be going wrong, when possibilities seem dim or non-existent. Hope keeps lighting us up inside, enabling us to see that our heart is still there.

You don’t need special resources to have hope. Hope will find them for you.
You don’t need courage to have hope. Hope will give you courage.
You don’t need to see any possible chance... Hope will find a way.
Hope is a wild animal-- a tiny canary fluttering on high or a massive elephant barrelling down the road. It can carry you to places of great challenge, of great beauty, of great passion and depth. It is a steed you ride with grace and kindness, a blessing you embrace like the wind, like a horse’s rein, yet you let the rein loose and let fly with the flow of the ride.

There will always be people who splash cold water on the embers of hope, who try to dash out the last sparks of burning aliveness hope gifts us. There will always be people who see parts and pieces, numbers and data, only seeing the hole, when they think they are seeing the whole picture. They can blot a vision, thrash a dream and crash hopes-- but only if you let them.

Look at people like Steven Hawking, whose dwarfed, deformed shape has not stopped him from having a vision that spans the universe and beyond. At Beethoven who went on composing amazing music after he became deaf. But you don’t have to look to Beethoven. There’s a band composed of all deaf band members and music is taught in schools for the deaf.

Check out here.

They persevere in the face of great challenge. That is one of the best parts of being human-- facing great challenges and finding, with hope and vision, answers we never knew existed. This is one of the ways we can feel most alive, most in touch with those spiritual vibrations which remind us that we are all connected to God.

Rob Kall April 30, 2002

by Rob Kall (761 articles, 3850 quicklinks, 320 diaries, 1642 comments) on Friday, December 14, 2007 at 9:10:53 PM

August Adams is an author and activist with a background in accounting and finance, a CPA and has a Masters Degree in Business Psychology. He is committed to creating a country and world that is fair and just.
August AdamsAugust Adams is an author and activist with a background in accounting and finance, a CPA and has a Masters Degree in Business Psychology. He is committed to creating a country and world that is fair and just.

Uplifting

Thanks for the reminder - somehow it seems we (people) have always been on the brink - and somehow - maybe through hope - turning into collective action - we persevere. It was nice to be reminded.

by August Adams (1 articles, 0 quicklinks, 3 diaries, 10 comments) on Friday, December 14, 2007 at 9:55:11 PM

This quote summarizes the nature of my concerns and the content of personal experiences which stir my activism:

"Necessity is the plea for every infringement on human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves". --Paul Revere, House of Commons
Kathryn SmithThis quote summarizes the nature of my concerns and the content of personal experiences which stir my activism:

"Necessity is the plea for every infringement on human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves". --Paul Revere, House of Commons

Here's what gives me hope

Ghandi's statement is beautiful, that the murderers ALWAYS fall.

Notice how many politicians are resigning to avoid scandal and investigation? Truth doesn't like to see the light of day, and we can draw hope from that. Our voice DOES count and our opinions DO matter, as evidenced by this fact in which politicians are dropping off like flies! Yes, Ghandi, you are right once more: The truth wins and the spiritually evil do fall. Thank you!
A friend of mine used a beautiful analogy about ant colonies. When ant colonies are flooded, the ants cling together in a pyramid, floating to safety, and then continue right on with their work!

And what about the fact that the Vietnam War was stopped by protests? I believe politicians may be playing a game with us, with the intention of leading us to THINK that our voices won't count. But it's not true. I have seen, as member of Moveon.org, that when signatures come in by the millions, politicians reverse their positions 180 degrees. They can't honor the voice of the few but they MUST honor the voices of the many, or they'd lose their seat in office (or have too much truth exposed). And they know it.

Depression governs our masses. Let's not let it govern us! Let us cling together like the ants do, floating as we are being flooded, and continue right on with our work! The ants come marching two by two, haroo, haroo....here we come! Ready or not!

by Kathryn Smith (89 articles, 2 quicklinks, 35 diaries, 345 comments) on Friday, December 14, 2007 at 11:07:07 PM

Musician and writer, who has lived and worked on all the continents and whose articles on media have been published in China, Italy, England and the US, and now resides in New York City.
Jay JansonMusician and writer, who has lived and worked on all the continents and whose articles on media have been published in China, Italy, England and the US, and now resides in New York City.

Both Hope and Hopelessness Are of No Use

Hoping is big in Western thought. Even so, hoping is neither action nor doing, not even promoting.
There is a useful Buddhist concept expressed in the meditative method to heighten awareness and perception prior to action used by performing artists and athletes in competition:

"Rest in the innate state, without hope, or fear and without altering anything."

In other words, be accepting, in order to keep the senses open to be aware of what actually is before one and see it for what it really is. For with one's fingers crossed squeezing one's thumbs in wishful future think, there is less attention to present time and present and ongoing circumstances, threats, dangers and opportunities.

In Asian thinking, 'hope' is not treasured as being as useful as is 'equanimity'. Hoping never got anything done and is an impediment to clear mindedness.

Example: Should it come upon a musician to 'hope' to play the right note, disaster threatens. Should a basketball player at the foul line have the disconcerting thought, 'Sure hope I make this shot - my girl friend is watching', he jeopardizes his body's relaxed coordination. Actually hope and fear are two sides of the same useless coin.

Dreaming to win the lottery is certainly pleasant. But realistically evaluating one's chances of winning leaves the slim possibility open to enjoy while being relaxed, not jacked-up with anticipation (hope), followed by let down.

Wonder if author Washington and/or any of his audience happened to have read OpEdNews of Sunday, December 2, 2007,
HOPING TO REFORM CAPITALISM MAKES YOU COMPLICIT IN ITS INIQUITIES/4 Books
Whatever one wants to call whatever takes its place, it is the inhumanity, murderous criminal insanity, of totally materialist, mindless capitalism that we are living through right now. Those of us who merely try to make it a bit less monstrous, are more acquiescent to its continuance, than to its being replaced with something more intelligently human. Extricate mind from complicity in Capitalist Crime with a four-book course!

by Jay Janson (70 articles, 0 quicklinks, 6 diaries, 86 comments) on Saturday, December 15, 2007 at 12:34:50 AM

I don't exactly feel...

"jacked-up with anticipation (hope)"--as you put it--about the future of our species, but I do make a real effort--and yes, it is an effort--to focus on the rays of light I see between the cracks, in the decaying bricks of our antiquated culture.

If I don't see a few possibilities besides doom and gloom, I get paralyzed and utterly useless. If looking for those rays may be called hope, then yes, I have to say I have a little hope.

I recommend the video "Peaceful Warrier," with Nick Nolte, for getting into the mindset of abandoning worry and focusing on present actions. I think this is not so much about hope, however, as about being useful and functional in relation to a goal--and also about being sure you have the right goal in the first place.

In the same vein, I recommend Dale Carnegie's extraordinary classic, "How to Stop Worrying and Start Living," which has distilled the wisdom of the ages into a remarkably readable form. This boy did his homework; would that there were more authors like him. If I can be said to have a bible, I would have to say this is it.

by Daniel Geery (26 articles, 58 quicklinks, 121 diaries, 681 comments) on Saturday, December 15, 2007 at 8:56:38 AM

Hater of Nazis above all. Hobbies include activism, military model building, military history, exciting and vital conversation with retired crooks. Retired
John HanksHater of Nazis above all. Hobbies include activism, military model building, military history, exciting and vital conversation with retired crooks. Retired

Hope?

Since they threatened Democrats with anthrax, and then murdered the Wellstones, I have been motivated by nothing but habitual black hatred.

by John Hanks (1 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 1094 comments) on Saturday, December 15, 2007 at 11:40:20 AM

Disabled Vet=Poet=baseball fan=working on second book of poetry+Independent voter+Born and raised in Upstate NY+love animals esp dogs+"Never been to Spain but,I kinda like the music" 3 Dog Night".

Anything unattempted, remains impossible. Anon.

I tremble for my country when I know that GOD is Just. Thomas Jefferson.

I am going to fight capitalism even if it kills me. It is wrong that people like you should be comfortable and well fed while all around you...

to see more of bio, click on member name
TruenoblemanDisabled Vet=Poet=baseball fan=working on second book of poetry+Independent voter+Born and raised in Upstate NY+love animals esp dogs+"Never been to Spain but,I kinda like the music" 3 Dog Night".

Anything unattempted, remains impossible. Anon.

I tremble for my country when I know that GOD is Just. Thomas Jefferson.

I am going to fight capitalism even if it kills me. It is wrong that people like you should be comfortable and well fed while all around you...

to see more of bio, click on member name

Truth is what hope feeds on.

Truth is an important key to make hope grow, no truth equals no hope. You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free.
Be Blessed.

by Truenobleman (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 7 comments) on Saturday, December 15, 2007 at 5:09:07 PM

JUST A CONCERN CITIZEN AND LOVE MY COUNTRY GREW UP IN A SMALL FISHING TOWN IN NJ,BUT THE DAY I GOT MY DRIVERS LICENSE,SPENT MOST OF MY TIME EXPANSING MY MINE. LEARNED A LOT THE HARD WAY,BUT MOSTLY STREET SMART. AT 65 HAVE PRETTY GOOD IDEA WHO THE SNAKES ARE.
RICHARD SHADEJUST A CONCERN CITIZEN AND LOVE MY COUNTRY GREW UP IN A SMALL FISHING TOWN IN NJ,BUT THE DAY I GOT MY DRIVERS LICENSE,SPENT MOST OF MY TIME EXPANSING MY MINE. LEARNED A LOT THE HARD WAY,BUT MOSTLY STREET SMART. AT 65 HAVE PRETTY GOOD IDEA WHO THE SNAKES ARE.

TRY TAKING HOPE TO THE BANK

HERE SOME HOPE, I HOPE BUSH DON'T BOMB IRAIN,I HOPE WE DON'T GET THE NORTH AMERICAN UNION, I HOPE WE GET A GOOD PRESIDENT IN 2008, I HOPE THEY REPEAL THE PATRIOT ACT, I HOPE I DON'T HOPE MY SELF TO DEATH. YOU CAN'T TAKE HOPE TO THE BANK, WHEN SOME ONE IS SICK, AND YOU SAY I HOPE YOU FEAL BETTER, WILL THAT MAKE THEM BETTER, DON' THINK SO. HOPE IS FOR SHEEP THAT DON'T TAKE ACTION. NOTHING HAPPENS UNLESS YOU MAKE IT HAPPEN. YOU CAN HOPE UNTIL YOU BLUE IN THE FACE, AND YOU KNOW WHAT YOU MOST LIKELY SUFFACATE.

by RICHARD SHADE (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 460 comments) on Sunday, December 16, 2007 at 4:30:32 AM

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