These past weeks have brought deep heartbreak. We’ve watched people fall from planes in efforts to flee and listened to the pleas of the Afghan citizens who now fear for their lives under Taliban rule. In Haiti, we’ve tried to comprehend the magnitude of destruction and loss of life, as people on the ground dig through the rubble of their county. 

Lebanon. Syria. Palestine. Ethiopia. Pakistan. Yemen. Greece. Turkey. Everywhere we turn, it seems, is a community in need of support.

We often trick ourselves into believing that we can predict the future. That we can control all the outcomes. But moments like these remind us that the world can be turned on its head in as little as a week, a day, a second. They make us feel powerless. And while it’s far easier to fall into the tunnel of despair, give up hope, and yield to the circumstances, humanity deserves more than that. 

No one should have their dreams dashed, lives threatened, or homes shattered. But ruminating in this despair will not help. Instead, it will blind us to our power and ability, thereby inhibiting action. There is a brighter future out there waiting for us to seize. The first step? Hope.

Hope is the most powerful weapon we have against despair. When the world crumbles around us, hope rebuilds it—clears out the rubble, patches up the wound, pulls us out of bed. It is not a magic fix, but it is the first step towards peace and justice.

Where would the workplace be without the mobilization of the labor movement? Voting rights  without the protests, marches, and community organizing of the last century? Syrian refugee communities without the thousands who called on their politicians to let them in? The journey is not complete, but these significant strides were only made possible by people who believed in them.

We can, and should, still feel pain, heartbreak, and grief for our brothers and sisters across the world. We can, and should, still empathize and cry and scream and mourn their circumstances. But we cannot and should not succumb to despair rather than act. When a friend falls down, you reach out your hand. When a nation is in peril, you send support.

It’s not easy. None of this is. But it is far more difficult to allow oppression to persist than it is to rise up against it. It is far more difficult to expect and accept violence than it is to fight for peace. 

So to those of us privileged enough to have our rights and security, we must not despair. We must have hope and spread it to those around us. We must imagine the future we can create. And then pursue it with a vengeance that repels any threat that seeks to challenge it. Because once we can imagine it, we can build it. 

At Karam, we do this everyday, and we ask that you join us. Whatever that may mean for you. There is work to be done, and there is no one better than you to do it.

Here is one place to start. GlobalGiving connects vetted nonprofits with companies looking to make a difference. Their homepage is an excellent place to support the issues that are happening across the globe. You can also keep the hope alive for Syrian refugees by starting a monthly gift. 

 

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