Where is your hope?

Usually I like my posts to be a little laid back and humorous, but this may be a little different. In light of the attack in Boston yesterday, there's something that's been on my mind.

I like to believe that we always have hope. Does this mean a New Hope that a young lad will eventually grow to Jedi status and overturn the evil cosmic empire? You bet it does. Does this also mean the Hope we see plastered on bumper stickers next to President Obama's face? Well, Republicans may disagree, but also yes. Perhaps this means the HOPE referring to the lottery scholarship I lost two years ago. I'm a little bitter, but I guess it technically works too. All silliness aside, I believe in hope more than I believe in most things. Some may call me naive, others may call me an optimist (and many will say the two are synonymous), but I refuse to put much stock in the idea of despair. If I wanted to mope about all day, get drunk, and give in to the idea of the futility of hope, I'd just move to the caribbean and pretend to be a washed-up pirate. As fun as that sounds, I think I'll stick to my belief because hope is honestly a very dangerous thing to lose.

"No hope! No hope! A pirate's life for me!"

I guess the real reason for this post is the tragedy that occurred in Boston yesterday. I'm guessing there's no one reading this that isn't aware of what happened, but I'm going to recap it anyway. Two bombs went off at the Boston Marathon. Two were killed, one of them being an 8 year old child waiting to see his dad finish the race, and over 160 were injured. When I hear that people were "injured", I often think of imagine that as something like a fractured shoulder or a few nasty cuts. In this case "injured" meant brain injuries, full body trauma, and loss of limbs. The entire event was absolutely horrible and has left my heart in a squeezing vice. Not much is known about the actual explosions, although it seems clear that this wasn't just some sort of pipe leak or natural gas accident. That means somebody willingly decided that they were going to hurt and murder innocent people at what was supposed to be an inspiring event. Naturally, this is hard for a lot of people to take in. The idea that someone would do something so despicable often leaves people confused and questioning, and we have to find a way to cope. Still, despite how bad it may seem, I refuse to let go of hope. But where to find it? 

I came across this status today as I was scrolling down my feed. It's a nice thought and a lot of people seemed to like it, but something about it just didn't sit right with me. This hope is "elsewhere" which means not of the world. Of course this means this person is putting faith in God or Jesus or both. That by itself, I do not have a problem with at all. We often turn to our faith in a time of crisis, and I've never thought ill of anyone for doing that. My problem with it is that it reminds me of a common Christian saying that absolutely kills me to death: "Be in the world, not of it." The idea behind it is that you have no choice but be in this dark, sick, twisted world, but you don't have to be a part of it. Just stick to the holy high ground and you'll one day find the true refuge in the glorious afterlife. I promise this isn't some sort of attack on religion: if someone spouted off that phrase but believed that aliens would one day come and take them, I'd still hate it. It's easy to think about all the people that were hurt or lost, but what about all the people that turned back to help the injured after crossing the finish line? What about the fact that local hospitals are filled with blood from donors? What about the fact that Bostonian residents and businesses are offering food, drink, and shelter for no charge whatsoever? It reminds me of one of my favorite quotes: "It's a shit shit world, but you know what? Good things are done every day."

I am in this world and I am of it. And I love that fact. Because if there is a grace to speak about, this world is truly of it. Evil happens in ways that sometimes seem overwhelming, but let us not forget the response after the storm. The incredible outpouring of love and kindness. I put my hope in this world and I put my hope in the people of this world and I will never give up on either.