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Hope in action, Hope in the Dark: Untold Histories Wild Possibilities by Rebecca Solnit, Hope in uncertainty
Hope locates itself in the premises that we don’t know what will happen and that in the spaciousness of uncertainty is room to act. When you recognize uncertainty, you recognize that you may be able to influence the outcomes—you alone or you in concert with a few dozen or several million others. Hope is an embrace of the unknown and the unknowable, an alternative to the certainty of both optimists and pessimists…. It’s the belief that what we do matters even though how and when it may matter, who and what it may impact, are not things we can know beforehand. We may not, in fact, know them afterward either, but they matter all the same, and history is full of people whose influence was most powerful after they were gone.
Rebecca Solnit in the Foreword to the Third Edition (2015) from Hope in the Dark: Untold Histories, Wild Possibilities, published by Haymarket Books, Illinois, USA, 2016. First published by Nation Books, USA, 2004.
Rebecca Solnit, born in 1961 in Connecticut/USA, is a writer, historian, and activist. She is the author of more than twenty books on feminism, western and indigenous history, popular power, social change and insurrection, hope and disaster. An independent writer since 1988, she is a columnist at the Guardian and a regular contributor to Literary Hub. Her most recent book, Recollections of My Non-Existence, was released in March 2020.
athousandbitsofpaper said:
Great words.
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Rosaliene Bacchus said:
Kate, thanks for dropping by and reading 🙂
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athousandbitsofpaper said:
I always enjoy your posts Rosaliene
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Rosaliene Bacchus said:
Thanks, Kate. So good to know ❤
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anjaliutters said:
Deep words! Thankyou for sharing ❤️
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drgeraldstein said:
Lovely and necessary sentiment. Thank you, Rosaliene. I’m reading one of Hinduism’s foundational texts right now. One of the points that is emphasized is the necessity of taking action with the right attitude. We can address problems with control only of our actions and the proper mindset. The outcome is another matter, but we still must act.
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Rosaliene Bacchus said:
Dr. Stein, thanks for sharing the Hindu perspective. Our attitude is, indeed, critical if we wish to overcome the obstacles along the way, accept defeat whenever it occurs, and keep moving forward. Without a doubt, action is vital.
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derrickjknight said:
It took me a long time to be at peace with uncertainty.
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Rosaliene Bacchus said:
Good for you, Derrick! I’m still struggling with it.
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derrickjknight said:
🙂
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mistermuse said:
To paraphrase Woody Allen: I once took an Uncertainty test. I left all the answers blank. and got 100. 😉
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Rosaliene Bacchus said:
Loved that, MisterMuse 🙂
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Laleh Chini said:
Exactly what we need, thanks Rosaliene.❤️
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Rosaliene Bacchus said:
So glad you dropped by, Laleh ❤
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Laleh Chini said:
Always pleasure.🌹🌺😍
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Rebecca Cuningham said:
I like the quote; there is not only hope but confidence that our actions matter.
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Rosaliene Bacchus said:
What’s more, Rebecca, she backs it up with concrete examples from her own experience as an activist and the historical record.
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Robert A. Vella said:
I love this!
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Rosaliene Bacchus said:
So glad to hear that, Robert 🙂 I felt that I was not the only one needing a boost in the enveloping darkness.
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Robert A. Vella said:
You are definitely not alone, Ros.
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TC said:
I hope I can deal with uncertainties better. Having hope is indeed a great thing for if we don’t have any, then it’s as worse as not living at all.
Thank you for sharing this wonderful passage! ❤
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Rosaliene Bacchus said:
TC, I’m so glad you’ve found Solnit’s words of some comfort. Like you, I also have to cope better with uncertainties. Under our current government, new ones seem to sprout daily.
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TC said:
Couldn’t agree more, Rosaliene. It’s frustrating so we need to buckle up ourselves and get along well with the changes during these hard times. Wishing you a great day!
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cath said:
Another fantastic quote. You do have an eye for telling words, Rosaliene. I love that first sentence, it’s a dangerous truth.
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Rosaliene Bacchus said:
Thanks very much, Cath 🙂 Solnit has a keen vision of our reality, whether it be as women or as a society at large, and the writing skill to put it into words.
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Crystal Byers said:
I always say, you can choose hope or despair. I choose hope.
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Rosaliene Bacchus said:
Crystal, I also choose hope.
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theburningheart said:
Life is a constant challenge, a constant search for solutions, for life’s problems, always changing, and asking for more of ourselves, and we live in that uncertainty, if we can overcome the challenge we face at these days, we just have to accept that it is not for us to ask why, but to act, regardless of the results.
Something like Lord Tennyson said:
Ours not to reason why,
ours but to do and die.
Good post Rosaliene. 🙂
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Rosaliene Bacchus said:
Thanks for adding your voice, BurningHeart 🙂
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thewanderingempath said:
Absolutely! This is such a difficult time for so many of us. This was uplifting and so true. Thanks
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Rosaliene Bacchus said:
Thanks for dropping by and sharing your thoughts 🙂
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klmalcolm2014 said:
Hope is such a fascinating topic, very human in its complexity. I love the phrase “It’s the belief that what we do matters…”
Thank you Rosaliene.
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Rosaliene Bacchus said:
I hold on to that belief, Kim, even when we don’t know how our actions impact others.
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Rosaliene Bacchus said:
Thanks for dropping by 🙂
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JoAnna said:
I love this! It reinforces and clarifies aspects of my theme. Sharing to read more…..
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Rosaliene Bacchus said:
Glad you love this, JoAnna 🙂 I would recommend that you read her book.
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JoAnna said:
I’ll put it on my list!
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DutchIl said:
Thank you for sharing!.. “Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do…” Pope John XXIII
Hope all is well in your part of the universe and all your tomorrows are filled with love and happiness!.. 🙂
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Rosaliene Bacchus said:
I appreciate your well wishes, Dutch 🙂 I’m working on what is still possible.
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Atul said:
some good musings on hope. along with hope, most people all over the world also pray to God to influence uncertain outcomes in their favor.
best wishes, Rosaliene.
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Rosaliene Bacchus said:
Atul, while we humans often turn to our gods for help, we can never be sure that the outcome would be in our favor. Best wishes to you, too ❤
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Atul said:
yes, because its God who is the decision maker not us. And he knows the best.
thanks
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Geri Lawhon said:
Very thought provoking post, thank you for posting it.
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Rosaliene Bacchus said:
Geri, thanks for dropping by and following my blog 🙂
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