Welp, the world is feeling pretty dark these days. The atrocities coming out of the war in Ukraine and the attacks on reproductive rights and officially one million American lives lost to Covid and, and, and. It’s been a near constant stream of dark, black, negativity for - well, I’m not even sure how long we’ve been desperately trying to crawl out of this dumpster fire. Is there even a light at the end of this tunnel or are we actually digging deeper into a cave?

I overheard Miguel on a call giving someone an update on our lives and he concluded by saying that the world may be in chaos but, in our little bubble, life was pretty good. I had to take a moment to register that he wasn’t wrong. The depressing influx of information coming at me every time I take in the news of the day has been filtering my perception of my actual daily life into thinking that it is a shit show as well. But in reality, our life right now isn’t just good - all things considered, its actually pretty freaking great. There is a joy, comfort and sense of security between these walls that we haven’t experienced in years but the dizzying dichotomy of my bubble vs the world has distracted me from not just enjoying it - but even recognizing that it exists.

This isn’t the first time I’ve registered this problem. My usual answer is to turn away from the news for a few days: tv, car and phone. This works for as long as I’m tuned out, but it’s not a practical long term solution nor a responsible one. So what is? How could I still feel present as a citizen of the world and also experience my personal joys? Especially when it feels like all of the terrible, horrible things going on in the world are a giant shadow swallowing all that is good - or at the very least hiding it from sight. Which reminded me of the movie The NeverEnding Story and The Nothing that threatens to completely destroy the fictional world Fantansia. 

Now, if you have never seen The NeverEnding Story, stop what you are doing and rent it now on Amazon. It is four bucks you will not regret spending… and while we’re at it: yes, I had a massive crush on Atreyu and obviously I dressed as the Childlike Empress one year for Halloween. Moving on.

Atreyu : But why is Fantasia dying, then?

G'mork : Because people have begun to lose their hopes and forget their dreams. So the Nothing grows stronger.

Atreyu : What is the Nothing?

G'mork : It's the emptiness that's left. It's like a despair, destroying this world. And I have been trying to help it.

Atreyu : But why?

G'mork : Because people who have no hopes are easy to control; and whoever has the control... has the power!

Look, I’m way to much of a realist to sit here and tell you that all we need to do is hold on to our dreams, count our blessings and everything will turn out ok. The amount of effort and fight in front of us is rivaled only by the most fantastic of fictional quests. However, I do think there is something here that we can use. 

We must believe that the world can be better, that people can be better because the second we lose that hope, G’mork, a large, terrifying, talking, wolf-dog creature is right: we have lost our power. As feeble as it may feel, there is always power in hope.

So, where do we find our hope when The Nothing is whispering in our ears and nipping at our heels? The specifics of that answer will be different for each of us but the source is the same and ironically, it’s the same thing I’ve been overlooking: joy. 

Hope is born from joy. 

Hope is possibility and desire, it is love and acknowledgement. If we want to stop ourselves from falling into despair we can start by recognizing our personal joys and giving them the value they deserve. It means acknowledging that yes, I have been served several helpings of shit stew over the years, but right now I’m enjoying one the choicest cuts of filet mignon I’ve ever tasted. This life is good and it is worth fighting for. 

In order to have the strength to persevere we MUST make space for joy. It’s not just something we should do, we will literally be powerless without it. No matter how bleak the future may seem - the wars, climate crisis’ and devastating diseases - they will all still be there in the morning. So, let yourself fall asleep remembering that goofy thing your kid said, or the kind gesture from your neighbor, or your pet’s unconditional love as they snuggle in closer beside you. 

As long as we have hope we have power.

That said, I certainly wouldn’t turn away the power of Falkor, the luck dragon, right about now. Just saying…