If you look up
the word “hope” in the dictionary, you’ll find definitions such as “a feeling
of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen,” or “want something to
happen or be the case.” If you search the word in a search engine, you will
find countless inspirational quotes, such as “Once you choose hope, anything’s
possible” along with images of people throwing their arms in the air as a flock
of birds fly past a golden sunset. When people hope for something, it usually
suggests a yearning for change. The definition of change is “the act or
instance of making or becoming different,” which reminds me of a quote I came
across once that seems quite obvious, but has motivated me on numerous
occasions: “If you want something you’ve never had, you have to do something
you’ve never done.” If you want change, you must be willing to act. Action, or
“the fact or process of doing something, typically to achieve an aim,” will
help bring change, or the thing one hopes for. Therefore, one can infer that without
action, hope is futile. One can only achieve change through action.
Dr. Cornel West, a pioneering philosopher and
activist, explains hope as being active rather just passive optimism in his
essay “Prisoners of Hope.” According to West, merely wanting change is not
enough. One must be willing to act to bring about change rather than just
wishing for it to happen. West explains hope “enacts the stance of the
participant who actively struggles against the evidence in order to change the
deadly tides of wealth inequality, group xenophobia, and
personal despair” (West). Here, West depicts hope as an active process instead
of a passive state of being. Hope propels people forward into action. West also
explains: “Empathy
is not simply a matter of trying to imagine what others are going through, but
having the will to muster enough courage to do something about it. In a way,
empathy is predicated upon hope.” This quote rings very true in American
history. Those who struggle against oppression and subjugation do not want
sympathy from others; however, they yearn for direct action that will improve
their situations. Hope can only be justified if it is combined with the will to
act. It is called the
Civil Rights Movement for a reason. Americans quite literally had to “move” in
order to bring about the change many hoped for.
An
example of hope in the media is artist Shepard Fairey’s very famous and widely
recognized poster design for Barack Obama’s 2008 Presidential Campaign. The
red, beige, and blue posters were plastered across the United States, as the
image became an iconic symbol of Obama’s campaign message. During his campaign,
he made countless inspiring speeches that incorporated the idea of hope. In a
speech he made at one of the many campaign rallies he attended during the
election process in 2008, Obama explained: “I talk about hope a lot, out of
necessity… Hope is not blind optimism. Hope is not ignorance of the challenge
that stands between you and your dreams. Hope is exactly the opposite. Hope is
believing and then working and fighting for things…. That is how the thirteen
colonies had the courage to declare independence against the mighty British
Empire. That is how slaves and abolitionists resisted the evil system…”
(Obama). He explains that hope is believing and trusting that one can cause
change, which is imperative to propelling one into fighting and working for
that change. Therefore, hope is a step in moving forward; however, it is not
the only step.
Along
with the image of hope, was his campaign slogans “Change we can believe in” and
“Yes we can.” The campaign also features videos such as “Signs for Hope and
Change,” which documents footage of supporters across the country holding up
sign with the words “hope” and “change” as voice-overs explain the supporter’s
belief in the hope that Obama preaches. However, among the posters, promotional
videos, and slogans, there is no emphasis on a key point of the equation:
action. As a president, Barack Obama must take action to run a country, and he
does; however, it is interesting that he does not highlight such a crucial
element in his campaign. Throughout his presidency, despite his many
outstanding accomplishments, Obama has received limitless critiques about his
inability to take action to achieve change. However, since the president’s
reelection in 2012, he created the Organization for Action, which put
supporters back into the democratic process again. Organization for Action is a
people’s movement, which train and inspires the next generation of leaders to
focus on the issues in their community. It influences people to bring about
change in their own community by taking action rather than relying on one
election to automatically bring about change. Citizens in the United States
always assume that by electing a president, everything will change because the
president will take care of it; however, that is not the case. One person
cannot be responsible for the actions of an entire nation. People have to put
responsibility into their own hands, no matter how small the action may seem.
Organization for Action is a great way to get people involved in the “change”
that Americans dream of. Additionally, Obama’s election itself demonstrates how
successful Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s action to make his dream a reality was.
Without the direct action that King speaks about in “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” the election of an African-American
may have never happened.
Director
Tom Shadyac’s 2010 documentary film “I Am” depicts an excellent example of
changing oneself to promote change in the world. After experiencing a severe
bicycle accident in 2007, Shadyac subsequently gave away his excess fortune and
opened a homeless shelter in Virginia. He simplified his life by selling his
Los Angeles mansion and moving into a trailer park. He isolated himself
completely as medical treatments failed to help his condition. However, as his
symptoms began to improve, Shadyac decided to share this experience through
film. Rather than simply making a donation and keeping his lavish lifestyle, he
decided the best way to promote change to the world’s obsession with
materialism was to take matters into his own hands and set an example for
society. Actually changing his own life rather than simply hoping others will,
Shadyac is already making a huge change in the world because he is inspiring
others to do the same.
Hope
keeps us alive. Hope for social change, hope for a cure, or even just hope for
better weather. Hope surrounds us. If we didn’t have hope or something to
strive for, our lives would have no purpose. Furthermore, hope without action
is not enough. We must work for what we want. One should never be afraid to act
to become the change they wish to see in the world.
Works Cited
1.“Hope.” Merriam Webster. Encyclopedia Britanica,
n.d.
<http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hope>
2. “Change.” Merriam Webster. Encyclopedia Britanica,
n.d.
<http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/change>
3. “Action.” Merriam Webster. Encyclopedia Britanica,
n.d.
<
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/action>
4. “Letters for Birmingham
Jail.” Liberation Curriculum. N.p,
n.d.
5. West, Cornel. “Prisoners
of Hope.” Alternet. N.p., n.d.
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