ABSTRACT
Hope is a curious word, one that is different than optimism. Christopher Lasch says, “hope implies a deep-seated trust in life that appears absurd to those who lack it.” The recognition that this is a collective effort, each person adding one piece to the composite whole, keep the hope that is needed to continue in both good times and in bad. To make that hundredth strike with the hammer requires the persistence maintained by hope. According to the UN Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, humans have changed Earth’s ecosystems more in the past 50 years than in any comparable historical period. People have increased species extinction rates by up to a thousand times over the typical rate throughout planet’s history. According to the UN, the richest 20% of the world’s population consume over 75% of all private goods and services, while the poorest 20% consume just 1.5%.
