Among the thousands of things I never expected is this: I never expected to be giving speeches that sound like candidates’ speeches for the US presidency. But here I am, talking a bout Audacious Hope, just like Barack Obama.
Gender, race, political aspirations and citizenship aside, we have some things in common, Barack and me. Both of us get a lot of applause when we talk about hope. Both of us use the language of audacity and I believe. He’s getting more coverage though.
Neither of us invented the term audacious hope, though I expect that both of us are inspired by the same guy, Cornel West, a writer on black history who teaches at Princeton. Neither of us is much enamored with the idea of talking about false hope. Both of us believe that when somebody insists that you choose between hope and realism, it is better to start with hope and trust realism to follow, because when you start with realism, hope has a harder time of it.
There really isn’t any substitute for good old inspiration. Obama is out there every day, inspiring Americans with his talk about hope. And though I toil to categorize hope strategies and describe them in the language of academics, there is nothing more rewarding for me than the moment when a depressed or anxious client suddenly becomes inspired.
I have been noticing Barack Obama’s name in the hope research literature abstracts for nearly a year now, noticing it and ignoring it. I have not been interested in what American political hopefuls have to say about hope. But this week I cannot avoid hearing his name and his speeches every time I turn on the radio. The words they are playing are the words I am saying at health care conferences and mental health support groups. No doubt everybody else is hearing Obama’s speeches too. In future people will think I was inspired by Obama.
It’s a funny world, isn’t it?
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