What gives you hope for humanity, civilization, da yoots, the future of music, etc.?
For me it's some of the young people (i.e. 20something, compared to my mid 40s ass) that were in my cohort in undergrad and grad school, especially one who is a trans man now working with an overflowing caseload of LGBTQ+ mental health clients. It's also the kids that my friends have raised into young admirable adults. I fear for the future of these young people, but I hope that they will become empowered enough to take some control of the future.
i watched the end of dragon ball super the other week and let me tell you
that's some feel-good entertainment right there.
Re: Post things that give you hope
Posted: Fri Jul 01, 2022 7:38 am
by Gone Fission
“I can't do nuttin' for ya man
You got all these people on your back now
I can't do nuttin' for ya man
Flavor flav got problems of his own”
Re: Post things that give you hope
Posted: Sat Jul 02, 2022 11:10 pm
by Velcro Bottom
I'll agree with the younguns. Most of the kids I know are smart, kind, and taking notes.
Re: Post things that give you hope
Posted: Mon Jul 04, 2022 6:34 pm
by sutarappa
Plants. Animals other than Homo sapien. Some Homo sapien individuals. The remainder? Cut their balls OFF, and limit access to hydrocarbons. I know we don't have time for rational solutions. Goddamn.
Maybe everything’s gonna be alright, alright, alright.
Re: Post things that give you hope
Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2022 7:57 pm
by friendship
I too have noticed more civic engagement among the youngs. I've seen young student poll workers (in a primary!) and student canvassers the past few weeks. The other day I was having lunch at the diner and this kid who couldn't have been older than 20 was having a thoughtful conversation with what I assume were her grandparents. It was nice to see people separated by decades of rapid progress and change take the time to understand one another.
I know that’s all anecdotal, but I think that what we do in our own communities matters a lot, and it's much easier to focus on your immediate sphere of influence than on the broader state of the world. If you're like me, you probably jump to the Big Picture and feel despair at how small of an impact you personally have. But when we show up in our daily lives with the spirit of compassion, generosity, and kindness, it has a real, material effect on the world around us. We don’t often get to see the fruits of that effort, especially with strangers, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t make a difference. Speaking for myself, there have been days when I am toeing the precipice of the abyss and a simple, unremarkably kind gesture from a stranger turns my entire day around. Goodness and decency are real, and they matter.
The people in your life hold a piece of you in their hearts, and what piece you offer them is significant. Even if you feel like you have no one IRL, you are reading and/or posting on ILF and, believe it or not, that matters too. Strangers on this website I might never meet have lent me courage and generosity, and I’m not exaggerating when I say that’s made a difference in my life.
It’s a cruel paradox that the bleaker circumstances become, the stronger we have to be. Separation and isolation is the MO of abusers and fascists. I want you to know that you’re not isolated, and you’re not alone. As loving human beings, we’re going to prevail because ideologies based on hatred and fear ultimately consume themselves, though often not without terrible cost to their victims. But even in death, what we do in our lives has profound resonance for the people we interact with. Maybe you’ve lost someone/somepeople like I have, and you try to honor them in your daily life, in your way, whenever you can. Human beings who are literally dust in the wind at this very moment shape who I am and how I act in life. That matters too.
You matter. How you matter isn’t completely up to you, but you still have a great deal of power over it in how you engage with your life and the world around you.
You matter.
Re: Post things that give you hope
Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2022 8:37 pm
by Big Mon
Twin leads not only give me hope, they rule my life and are my wife.
Re: Post things that give you hope
Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2022 3:16 pm
by sutarappa
friendship wrote:I too have noticed more civic engagement among the youngs. I've seen young student poll workers (in a primary!) and student canvassers the past few weeks. The other day I was having lunch at the diner and this kid who couldn't have been older than 20 was having a thoughtful conversation with what I assume were her grandparents. It was nice to see people separated by decades of rapid progress and change take the time to understand one another.
I know that’s all anecdotal, but I think that what we do in our own communities matters a lot, and it's much easier to focus on your immediate sphere of influence than on the broader state of the world. If you're like me, you probably jump to the Big Picture and feel despair at how small of an impact you personally have. But when we show up in our daily lives with the spirit of compassion, generosity, and kindness, it has a real, material effect on the world around us. We don’t often get to see the fruits of that effort, especially with strangers, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t make a difference. Speaking for myself, there have been days when I am toeing the precipice of the abyss and a simple, unremarkably kind gesture from a stranger turns my entire day around. Goodness and decency are real, and they matter.
The people in your life hold a piece of you in their hearts, and what piece you offer them is significant. Even if you feel like you have no one IRL, you are reading and/or posting on ILF and, believe it or not, that matters too. Strangers on this website I might never meet have lent me courage and generosity, and I’m not exaggerating when I say that’s made a difference in my life.
It’s a cruel paradox that the bleaker circumstances become, the stronger we have to be. Separation and isolation is the MO of abusers and fascists. I want you to know that you’re not isolated, and you’re not alone. As loving human beings, we’re going to prevail because ideologies based on hatred and fear ultimately consume themselves, though often not without terrible cost to their victims. But even in death, what we do in our lives has profound resonance for the people we interact with. Maybe you’ve lost someone/somepeople like I have, and you try to honor them in your daily life, in your way, whenever you can. Human beings who are literally dust in the wind at this very moment shape who I am and how I act in life. That matters too.
You matter. How you matter isn’t completely up to you, but you still have a great deal of power over it in how you engage with your life and the world around you.
You matter.
Beautifully said. And agreed. Even though I mostly post here when tore up.
