virtual community conversation about hope.

Instead of resigning ourselves to our current situations, we can dream and build new possibilities. This is hope in action. In this way, hope is an energy source that resides in each of us. It is a type of knowing beyond the five senses of touch, smell, sight, hearing, and taste. When we hold hope in our hearts and minds–when we hold the vision or dream of something new, better and more life-giving–we are compelled to move toward it. We have a choice: to keep hope alive or to give in to doubt and let hope fade away, calling it a waste of time, useless daydreaming and overly optimistic thinking. In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Ridgewater College is hosting this event in an effort to bring hope to our community amid COVID-19. In the words of Martin Luther King, “And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.” (“I Have a Dream” speech, 1963) This conversation is adapted in part from themes from The Four Sacred Gifts: Indigenous Wisdom for Modern Times, by Anita L. Sanchez, PhD.