The ICE Raids, the daily outrageous behaviors of our elected and appointed officials, and the wholesale dismantling of systems of accountability and justice are having their intended effect, causing people to live in a state of fear, despair, and hopelessness.
Undermining hope is a tool used by toxic leaders throughout history to convince the masses that they have no option but to accept their fate. Their message is clear, fighting back is futile.
Don’t fall for it.
No one can steal your hope; you must relinquish it.
Never give up your hope
I talk about hope often, so much so that yesterday someone asked me how I stay so positive. The question suggested that I have a pollyannaish view on life or just don’t get how bad things really are. Untrue. My eyes are open. I see the devastation of wars, the innocent lives destroyed, the fear and loss, the overt and blatant lies, the misogyny, the racism, and prejudice, and feel the wounding of the spirit of so many. I have moments of anger, sadness, frustration, and despair, and am tempted to succumb to the idea that toxicity is the new normal. But I still have hope.
Hope is being able to see that there is light, despite all of the darkness. – Desmond Tutu
Hope is different from a wish. A wish requires no action, except for the energy to voice the wish. Hope requires action, perseverance, and commitment. Hope requires that you have a vision of what you want your life and the world you live in to be – and then work to make that happen…[i]
The question may also have been a genuine desire to figure out how to stay positive when the world seems like it’s on fire. How is it possible to maintain hope in the face of such negativity? You must have faith – in yourself, your friends and family, and in something greater.
Faith is not simply a patience that passively suffers until the storm is past. Rather, it is a spirit that bears things – with resignations, yes, but above all, with blazing, serene hope. – Corazon Aquino
I have a fantastic community of friends and family who commiserate when I am down but also motivate and inspire me to get back up. We move through the pain and hurt together to get to the other side.
Surround yourself with people who inspire you, who are honest, ethical, caring, smart, and kind, people who motivate and challenge you to be your best self. Surround yourself with those who love and support you, people you can share your fears, frustrations, and vulnerabilities with; people who will hear you, and see you, and hold you, and uplift you and remind you of what is possible, if you keep pressing forward.
I have not lost hope because I have faith. I see what is possible through commitment, community, and love, to uplift the spirit and do what is right every day. Hold on to those who stand with you as you laugh, or cry or shake with rage and sadness and who commit to being with you on your best and worst days. People who buoy you with words of strength and dignity and remind you that this moment – is just a moment – and that the pain, sadness, and “wrongness” will pass. People who remind you that authoritarians, dictators, and bullies, are always brought down.
Ideas of peace, ideas of caring, ideas of justice, ideas of equality built on a foundation of hope and acted on in thoughtful, deliberate ways, can inspire positive action and change the world. That is how you fight toxicity, by having faith in yourself, in community, and in something greater than you that binds you to a higher purpose to do good and put your hopes into actions. We only need to look beyond ourselves to see those who inspire positive change:
Cecilia Chung, Malala Yousafza, Greta Thunberg, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Indra Nooyi, Mahatma Gandhi, Michelle Obama, Nelson Mandela, Jacinda Ardern, Grace Lee Boggs, Martin Luther King Jr, Ellison, Onizuka, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Jon Ossoff, Casilda Luna, Ellen Johnson, Sirleaf, Admiral William H. McRaven, Tawakkol Karman, Jasmine Crockett, Tammy Duckworth, and so many others.
You do not need giants in politics, activism, or business to inspire positive action. Look around at your communities and appreciate those who support and inspire you. Family and friends who believe in you, in peace, and ethical behavior, can be the spark that helps you fight through toxicity. Our individual and collection actions for good have meaning. Do not believe anyone who tells you otherwise. Toxic people become toxic leaders. Benevolent compassionate people become benevolent compassionate leaders.
If we hope for a better future, we need to work to create that future. If we hope for a world where there is racial justice, peace, equality, safety, caring, and an end to senseless violence, then we must work toward that end. Benevolent compassionate leaders hope for peace. Benevolent compassionate leaders work for peace[ii].
[i] Russell Davis, Reclaiming Ethical Leadership, Russell L Davis, 2024, Hardback, Pg 81
[ii] Ibid., p. 81