Lessons In Hope - Finding Light In Times Of Darkness

We are living in challenging times. Warnings have been sounded time and time again about the climate crisis, and we still have not achieved the unified approach needed to preserve the planet as a livable space for all who live upon it. We have not achieved a peaceful and harmonious world community. There is a growing sense that we are falling into petty nationalism. History teaches us that by working together in hope we can overcome our difficulties.

Background music: The Higher Mind by Narek Mirzaei of Music of Wisdom.
Photo: YuriArcursPeopleimages - Envato Elements - from whom the nature sound effects also

Transcript

Dear friends,

Welcome to this meditation,

Which I plan as one of a number,

Under the heading,

Lessons in Hope.

Hope is more than an emotion.

Hope is an active choice.

Hope is a light that shines in the darkness.

Hope is a beacon that lights our path,

Even when the way ahead is unclear.

Hope does not deny our pain,

Our suffering or our fear.

Hope acknowledges these realities,

But it refuses to surrender to despair.

Let's pause now for just one minute,

60 seconds,

To allow us to bring ourselves into the wonderful present moment,

Where we can always enjoy a sense of peace and calm.

You might like to close your eyes for this,

And simply pay attention to your breathing.

During this one minute pause,

Notice your simple breathing in and your breathing out.

Welcome back.

Looking back through the ages,

We see that humanity has endured war,

Oppression,

Famine and plagues.

There have been many times that have tested the very fabric of human endurance.

And yet,

Time and time again,

Humanity has found ways to rise,

To pick ourselves up and to begin again and again.

Each of these recoveries is a lesson for us in the principle this too shall pass.

We recall times of darkness and the light that followed.

Only very recently,

We have emerged from the COVID pandemic.

In the process,

We have suffered painful losses.

But thanks to cooperation on a wide scale,

We managed to overcome what could have been an even worse encounter with this global health emergency.

The COVID pandemic is possibly the only such worldwide alert occurring in the lives of people still living.

But humanity's encounters with these horrors is nothing new.

In the 14th century,

The Black Death devastated Europe.

It claimed millions of lives.

The people suffering dreadfully at the time must have felt as if this was the end of the world,

Or at least the end of the human world.

Yet we survived.

Not only did we survive,

But our resilience and our creativity gave birth to the Renaissance.

We entered what was to be an age of unprecedented art,

Science and discovery.

All was not lost.

Ancient texts were preserved.

Their wisdom was rediscovered.

Civilisation clung on and new ideas flourished.

Oh yes,

It has not been all plain sailing.

We know that.

We have still to discover what is becoming a more and more essential art,

Living together in peace.

We have much to learn and many unhelpful habits to unlearn.

Just think of the 20th century which saw the horror of two world wars,

Wars of unprecedented barbarity.

But from the ashes of war and destruction there arose a global commitment to peace.

We saw once warring nations seeking reconciliation.

The United Nations was founded,

Described by President John F.

Kennedy in his inaugural address in 1961 as,

That world assembly of sovereign states,

Our last best hope in an age where the instruments of war have far outpaced the instruments of peace.

Despite its faults,

The UN remains an essential institution,

An organisation of possibility if we can work to make it work.

It is still the only forum where the governments of the world can meet in discussion.

Following the end of World War II,

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted.

In the United States and in South Africa,

Systemic racial injustice seemed as if it would be a permanent feature.

Yet,

Through peaceful resistance and relentless hope,

Leaders like Martin Luther King Jr.

,

Rosa Parks,

Nelson Mandela and countless other brave and hopeful people,

They paved the way for greater justice and equality.

There is so much that remains to be done in terms of equality,

But let us take comfort and hope from calling to mind all that has been done to this point.

Time now to have another one-minute pause for reflection.

The story of every period of renewal and recovery reminds us that darkness is not the end.

Spring always follows winter.

How many of us who lived through the years of the Cold War could have believed that the Berlin Wall would come down without a shot being fired?

Yet it did.

How many of us who lived through the Cuban Missile Crisis went to bed at night wondering if mankind's final war was about to be unleashed?

But reason prevailed.

Who could have hoped for success in the nuclear arms reduction talks?

Although we still have more than enough of these deadly weapons to destroy the Earth many times over,

The numbers have been reduced from a high of some 70,

000 to 12,

000 today.

This is very far indeed from where we want to be,

But it shows what can be achieved through dialogue.

We need ever more dialogue.

The human race has exhibited an innate ability to rise,

To heal and to move forward,

And we need to maintain that momentum.

We can't be complacent.

Each of us must play our part and do what we can to encourage understanding and love as an antidote to intolerance and fear.

We can take inspiration every day by recalling people who have worked tirelessly and who work unceasingly today to improve the lot of humanity.

As we join together to work for brighter days,

We must never lose hope.

As I planned this meditation,

I heard birds singing outside my window,

Anticipating the return of spring,

The distinctive horse call of the wood pigeon,

The triple-noted call of a pair of beautiful collard doves,

Which seems always to say to me,

United,

United.

These ever-hopeful little creatures remind me of the words of Emily Dickinson.

Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all.

May it be so with us as we look out into our currently troubled world.

Let us be reassured by our past successes,

So many of them.

Let us live and work every day in hope for the brighter times to come.

Namaste.

Reviews

Much appreciated reminder of the ultimately progressive arc of history, in these dark times that try the souls of all.

Tony, I listen to this reflection of yours often! I can’t believe I haven’t reviewed it yet!
It’s really difficult for me, day to day, witnessing the ongoing disgrace of the Trump administratiin, and wondering who in my neighborhood is on either side—both sides have been whipped into such a frenzy of fear, nobody displays any indication of their views. Other elected leaders have proved complicit or impotent to resist the daily onslaught of firings, arrests, harassment and insults to former American values. It makes the world contracted and hollow.
I keep to my practice, my walks on the beach, and continue to enjoy my part-time job at a museum, where we all support education, protection of knowledge and human rights.
So there are always beauties and comforts in daily life.
Thanks for this, and your many other reminders to see the good in life and contribute what I can.
Much love,
Donna

Thank you, Tony. Giving people hope is essential, particularly when the dark seems so all-encompassing at times. Namaste.

A beautiful reflection and I love the bird sounds .

Thank you so much.

As an American, the last two months have been incredibly difficult. Thanks for the reminders and the glimmers of hope that can keep me moving forward and not into the hopelessness and inaction of despair.

Thank you dear Tony for these reflections on hope, so helpful in these times of uncertainty and fear. The bulbs I planted in an act of hope and faith in the dark days of winter are now blooming. They make me smile - as your words do. Onwards and upwards. Blessings to you 🙏

Powerful reminder. Life’s experiences come and go. May better angels prevail where we find some have failed us. Thank you Tony for your insight.

Thank you deeply for this meditation, Tony. It is comforting and inspiring and so necessary for these troubled times. You words brought to my mind that within me is DNA that survived the Black Death and other countless dark times for humanity. It strengthens my resolve to work to keep hope alive. Thank you.

Beautiful. Such a gentle, timely, yet powerful reminder that completely filled my heart with hope. May hope, faith, trust and love be yours Tony. Namaste. 🙏 xx

Thank you for these words of hope, Tony. My heart hurts and your examples of coming through hard times like these with resilience give me hope we will again. We can all do what we can for the good of all, even if it's just a smile, or kind word to another. It makes a difference! 💕🙏💕

Thank you Tony for your beautiful and encouraging words of hope reminding us to not let fear overwhelm us 🙏🏿💛😊.

Oh Tony! This meditation was like you were reading my mind. I have always felt that way about hope, but have not often enough felt it. I’ve been working on cultivating a daily routine of expressing hope along with my gratitude practice. I’m learning to trust the medicine that is saving my eyesight, and with that I give thanks for it and hope that I will see a more permanent cure for this condition. I too, have seen signs of spring but it’s still very cold here. This was such a lovely meditation and I’m going to listen to it again. Thank you Tony, for knowing somehow, what many of us are thinking about.
🪬🙏🏽🕊️☕️🐾🤦🏼‍♀️🦋🥰🎵🪶🌹🕊️🦋🕊️🦋🕊️

Beautiful, and so very needed right now. Thank you Tony 😊🙏

Thank you Tony. A much needed meditation at this difficult time. Very helpful 🤗

Thank you. Your hope and positivity are a beacon in these dark times.

Thank you for this, Tony; so lovely & helpful. Washington, DC, less than one mile from where I live, is in the shadows of darkness and disorientation that threaten to blanket the sun the moment we give up hope. I am finding fortitude in Vaclav Havel’s letters from prison on the essential nature of hope as an orientation of the heart that transcends the world and gives us the strength to live, even in conditions that seem hopeless. I posted a bit here: @gobsmacked_life on IG (along with sharing about your and cousin Jack’s good work; you are lighthouses on this stormy sea). With metta & deep appreciation for you, always but particularly now.
Jane 🌞🕊️🙏

Thanks Tony for reminding me how far we’ve come it’s a scary time in America right now this is just what I needed

Vigilant Hope for the United States and the world right now
Love and Peace to all

So important that we come together in hope. Thank you, Tony, I look forward to more in this series. 🙏🏼💝🌟

So many days I need your messages of hope, belief in improvement…. Thanks Tony