Faith, Hope, and Love
Friends,
I am not going to lie. It’s been a devastating and horrific few weeks. Internationally, we seem to be getting extremely close to World War III, with our own country siding with the aggressors and standing ready to defend the country invading multiple of its neighbors and killing civilians in Syria, Lebanon, Gaza, the West Bank, and Yemen all in the matter of weeks. Thousands of people maimed and children and medical workers killed in a terrorist attack that the US refuses to condemn. Six full apartment blocks leveled and hundreds killed, in a move that was praised by both major presidential candidates - with Harris calling it “a measure of justice”.
In the United States, we have watched Asheville and many towns in Appalachia absolutely rocked by Hurricane Helene - even thousands of feet above sea level and hundreds of miles from any ocean. Meanwhile, neither major party is treating the growing threat of climate change with anywhere near the urgency it deserves.
Social media is filled with despair - especially young people are openly struggling with their mental health and with their ability to hold on to hope in the midst of this horror.
But despair cannot change the world. Only love and solidarity can.
While reeling personally from the carnage and destruction of the first World War, German artist and socialist Käthe Kollwitz decided to double down on her commitment to her art and to working to build a culture of resistance to war and oppression. Stating, “I am in the world to change the world,” she continued to call for an end to war and creating art. She continued doing so into her old age, and though the Gestapo under Hitler threatened her and her husband, she was able to stand by her principles and remain a voice of reason until her death of old age in 1944. Her work and her quote live on to this day.
Though Kollwitz’s work was the work of an individual, and though Kollwitz very publicly dealt with despair and depression, these were not the forces that motivated her, nor were they the means by which she made a change in the world. Rather, her motivation was a faith in the goodness of human beings, a love for the common people of the world, and a willingness to work hard in collaboration with others against the prevailing norms and leaders of the day.
When I came up with the first draft of my original mailer during the election last year, I was similarly spending a lot of time frustrated and angry about the state of our communities and our city. My first draft was basically a litany of the frustrations I had with the city. And these were very reasonable things to be upset about! A declining life expectancy and rising deaths of despair. The second highest eviction rate in the country. Infrastructure falling into greater and greater disrepair. And on and on.
But my friends and advisors read through my draft, and offered me some advice. “Who would want to get involved in politics, with a message like that?”
They reminded me of what I already knew: the voters of Indianapolis already knew that many things in our city were poorly run and failing. What was needed in order to change those things was not broader education about the problems.
What was needed was a vision that showed through love and solidarity, we could collectively fix them.
Like leftists before me for decades have done, I embraced the slogan, “A better world is possible.” Working people standing together for justice are the light at the end of the tunnel, the sunbeams shining through the gaps in the clouds, the green things growing through the pavement.
This weekend, I had the pleasure of attending the Eugene V. Debs Foundation’s annual dinner. At that dinner, I got to meet Sara Nelson, the amazing and inspiring international president of the American Flight Attendants union. Ms. Nelson reminded me about the need to cling to faith, hope, and love as we join in solidarity with one another and continue fighting for a better world. She began her speech by singing the first stanza of the century-old labor song, Bread and Roses:
“As we come marching, marching, in the beauty of the day,
A million darkened kitchens, a thousand mill-lofts gray
Are touched with all the radiance that a sudden sun discloses,
For the people hear us singing, "Bread and Roses, Bread and Roses."
When working people stand together insisting that we can have not only the bare necessities of a dignified life, but beauty and art and peace and love as well, we inspire each other to join the struggle.
My challenge to you today is twofold.
First, take a minute. Sixty full seconds. Spend that time in meditative thoughtfulness. If you have a faith tradition, consider spending it in prayer. Meditate, think, and pray about an individual you know who brings you inspiration and joy by working to make the world a better place. Bonus points if this person is not a public figure and is not well known.
Next, take another few minutes. Reach out to that person who came to mind to tell them how they inspire you. Encourage them to continue their work. Ask them how you can support them. Tell them you love them and stand in solidarity with them.
The seeds of change that will bring about a better world are being planted every day. We can work together to nourish these seeds and protect them from the elements.
In a political world increasingly based in fear, anger, and sadness, take a few minutes today for gratitude, joy, and hope.
In love and solidarity,
Jesse