Sometime during Black History Month, a radio news station was airing one of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s speeches. I was in my car and I found that I was not listening to his words. I was listening to the audience, to those he inspired. It was a live recording and one can hear, every now and then, the thunderous applause or rejoicing of agreement from the crowd. How important those words must have been at the time. While his speech is probably still relevant now, my thoughts stayed on the audience. Had their lives changed after that evening? Did they take some action that Dr. King’s words brought to life?
Did they take some action that Dr. King’s words brought to life?
Words of inspiration have the capacity to pull us out of a difficult state and can open us up to Hope. It can validate our inner experience and boost our confidence. Inspiration can shift our mood from despair to hopefulness. But what do we do with this inspiration? Is it enough to just be hopeful? And what is it exactly that we are hoping for?
As a parent, I hope that my children live in a world of harmony and abundance. However, I could feel the overwhelming reality crash down on me like a tsunami: a billionaire acquiring more resources, while others experience famine; another incident of mass shooting; an act of police brutality with no meaningful recourse; thousands of miles of wildlife habitat destroyed to make room for the insatiable need for “civilized” progress. This is what is happening in our world today. For every advancement in social justice, there is powerful and carefully crafted backlash at its heels. For every product that promises an earth friendly solution is another of its packaging floating in the ocean.
Is it enough to just be hopeful?
And what is it exactly that we are hoping for?
While there have been great strides since the time of Dr. King, it seems the challenges have splintered on multiple fronts: even larger socio-economic gaps, global warming, and mass migrations due to war, advancement in weaponry, for example. So I ask, is having hope enough? Do our inspirations give us enough fuel to get there? Are we too distracted to even do anything about it?
Do our inspirations give us enough fuel to get there?
Are we too distracted to even do anything about it?
Small personal acts towards a better future seem futile against the grand scale of greed and destruction. American cultural anthropologist, Margaret Mead said, “never underestimate the power of a small group of committed people to change the world. In fact, it is the only thing that ever has.” Is this quote meant to inspire us to act? Or does it create the opposite because we can rely on a few change-makers?
The few who have committed to make a difference have demonstrated that the impossible can be done. And that itself is inspiring. However, how much of a sacrifice did that small group make because the rest of us did nothing or the bare minimum? The impossibility isn’t so much the obstacle, but the lack of participation from the rest of us. Dr. King himself was beaten, stabbed and even jailed almost 30 times. Still, he continued on this path because he believed he could make a difference. Imagine if the rest of us took up even a fraction of the kind of commitment that he made.
The impossibility isn’t so much the obstacle,
but the lack of participation from the rest of us.
Do we always need a leader to risk it all or a martyr to give their life in order for us to even lift our heads or try something out? I believe what is necessary to make hope come alive and deliver on its promises is by making sacrifices. Suffer a little bit more than we are willing. Give up our comforts for the kind of change we hope for. What is the point of inspiration if it only uplifts your mood and nothing more. Living in San Francisco, I found marches to be more of a weekend social activity than a type of direct action to stop an injustice. There is no risk, no demands, and no tension/ pressure on the wrong-doer. It simply isn’t enough anymore. Those with extreme wealth and corrosive power simply continue on with their unethical or cruel acts, no matter how many miles we march. In his last speech, “I’ve been to the Mountaintop.” the day before his assassination, Dr. King pleaded to the audience to “develop a kind of dangerous unselfishness.” He urged that we “redistribute the pain” and that he needed ALL of us to do it.
I believe what is necessary to make hope come alive
and deliver on its promises is by making sacrifices.
What I am really saying here is that if we want things to change, then we need to commit to it. How many podcasts do we need to listen to, how many books do we need to read before we make a real commitment for a better tomorrow? I am suggesting that we need to let the discomfort accumulate instead of seeking out another source of inspiration to distract or uplift us from the sorrow of reality. Take a moment to be still and listen to the anger bubbling just below the surface. Let it rise up and break down the apathy. Let the pain of the world melt the apprehension. I believe only then will the answer come to what it is we are meant to do about the crises of the world. But, for any real impact, it has to cost. It has to be a bit scary, risky and sometimes a bit foolish.
Let the pain of the world melt the apprehension.
This is when inspiration can help us take that leap. Inspiration gives us the energy to make a shift in our lives and make our way towards that hopeful future. It can look like leaving a job that pays well but may not be fulfilling. It can look like paying higher rent instead of moving into a cheaper “up-and-coming” neighborhood (thus becoming a gentrifier). Awakening to the suffering of the world will ask you to give up personal comforts disguised as necessities, and continue to shed life’s conveniences. Small disjointed efforts don’t create the momentum we need to make powerful changes. It is really up to each of us to commit, take risks, and even suffer for the change we want. Are we willing to do that?
Written by Mia Velez, SF, CA 2023
