The Gift of Hope
Hope is when you have something positive to look forward to. It is the heart’s desire for the eyes to see and the entire being to experience good things. One should always have, build, and rely on hope. Build it in yourself as well as others. Rely on it because it’s all you have. We live in a bleak, dreary world. There are always complaints of everything going downhill except gas prices. When you have the ability to live for something positive, why not do it with all that make you?
It saddens me that instead of hope our people allow despair to dictate how we get through life. Our current circumstances by no means foreshadow what is to come. It is how we react to them that determine how far we go. So why do we allow what others stereotype us as to always be our truth? We do not have to be slaves to anything or anyone. We do not have to struggle. We do not have to work two and three entry level positions just to get by. We can live life to its fullest and enjoy everything that comes with it. No, better things won’t come immediately, but holding onto hope while actively pursuing better will always get you to where your heart desire to be. But first your heart needs to develop a desire…
In my everyday travels I can’t count how ay times I hear the phrase, “That’s only for white folks.” My heart tears every time this is said. There are black adults living by this creed. People who have traveled the world, fought in multiple wars – the result of which affected them in absolutely no way – have learned nothing during their lives’ span. It is disheartening to hear that even though times have changed their hearts and minds have not.
Says a retired veteran, a man whose life spans from seeing Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X assassinated to the first black president getting elected, to me: “I know you’re trying to be a nurse and everything, but you’re in Memphis now. Your dream are only shit you talk about. Nobody here actually fulfills them.”
Sadly, this way of thinking is shared with many. This is why there are so few of “us” seen in top positions. Many of “us” simply don’t believe “we” belong there. This is where the crabs in a barrel syndrome comes into play. The minute one of “us” begins to rise someone has to pull him or her down with the painful reminder that “our people” live by what it looks like rather than what it could be.
My rant does come with a solution: First, start within. Force yourself to think about what you want to accomplish. Be selfish with it. Look at it with eyes that believe you can do anything. Next, work on discovering your purpose. Up until now you have been a slave to current condition. Free yourself by setting your mind on the fact that you were created for a reason. Stay free by constantly working toward your purpose. Last, be an example of encouragement. Working on yourself is not enough. Help others to realize there is life beyond existence. No one is bound to right now. There is future. Make it flourish from seeds of hope. You have the ability to live for something positive. Use that ability to its fullest extent.
Kimani Lauren
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