Sometimes I think that hope is becoming scarce in our world. We see so much suffering and we experience so many setbacks that many people are finding it hard even to imagine that the future holds anything better. This seems to be especially true among our young people, who don't make enough money even to afford to rent their own homes, much less buy them. People continue to do the best they can, but that often isn't enough, and they end up being in dire straits even though they've done everything they can to do things right. Many young people have become cynical, and rather than looking at the future with hope that it will be better than today is, they think of the future as more of the same--or even worse. So many people are just one disaster or sickness or car breakdown away from being in serious financial trouble that they're much more afraid than they are hopeful. How can we help them? Of course, we can't just give them money to make them feel more secure, and we can't buy homes for them or pay their rent, but what can we do to try to bring hope back to them? Empty promises of things getting better won't help, nor will insincere encouraging words. Personally, I don't have the answer, but it's a question worth pondering and exploring: How can we reignite hope in others? What can we do to help others to see their futures in bright and positive terms? I'll keep thinking about this problem, and hopefully others will, too.
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