Dan Rather: A Brief Thought for a Friday Night (Finding hope)

[Nevilledog]

Link to tweet

https://steady.substack.com/p/a-brief-thought-for-a-friday-night

A brief thought for a Friday night — a Friday I fear is fearful for many.

There is a lot about this world that is unsettling, disorientating, and depressing. There is a lot of news that adds up to a stark realization that this is a moment of great peril. We see forces of destruction in ascendence — economic, environmental, cultural, authoritarian, martial.

Historic parallels spur further alarm. Moments of instability can propel and inflame the worst of human instincts and behavior. Stoking fear is a potent tool for despots. When people worry about their own health, safety, and wellbeing, empathy for others can be framed as a luxury no longer affordable. Divisions harden. Hate takes root. Unity is undercut.

I have lived long enough and through enough momentous events hopefully to bring some context to the present. I offer no particular wisdom other than that born from longevity. But over time, we can hopefully put the concerns of the present into a broader perspective. Upon this foundation we can build a notion of steady.

We should not bury our heads in the sand about the very real dangers we face. It is a prescription only for delaying an inevitable reckoning. The world is on edge, people are suffering, our own democracy is under threat — primarily from within our own ranks.

*snip*

[Hermit-The-Prog]

1. This one stands out to me...

I find hope in those determined not to let darkness prevail, or lawlessness, or hate.