The Sun Still Rises
archived post - 2020
What a strange history we are living.
There is so much that could be said with regard to all that is shaking our realities right now, so many questions and so many unsatisfying answers. If I’m being honest, as I’m sitting down with myself to write this blog post, I have literally no idea what I am about to say, so this should be interesting.
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We’re seeing all kinds of stuff on social media right now, stuff about how to get through it: how to stay positive, how important it is to practice social distancing, how to socially distance, how much this sucks (but how we’re allowed to feel that way), how to develop a lively routine, how to help those in need (because those in need do continue needing, even when the world stops), how to stay healthy, how to stay active, etc. etc.
I remember, when I first started thinking about what I could post or write or say about COVID-19, I started by sifting through the archives of unedited photographs that sit all lonely on my external hard drive. I flagged all the ones that could possibly be relevant, and I realized after a few minutes that I had been flagging any image that had the sun in it; I’m not talking about bright lighting or intense shadow, I’m talking about the sun, literally in the frame, lens flare and all. And it was then that a string of words came to me:
the sun still rises on quieted streets
And let me qualify this here and now, before I go any further: I’m not going to pretend that I know just the right thing to say. Sure, I do hope some that read this will take a little bit of benefit rather than considering this a blatant waste of time, but I’m not pretending to be a source of profound encouragement. I instead would like to share with you something I believe very strongly in, something that makes good things better and that helps me when I’m in need. At some points in our lives (maybe it’s this one, maybe it’s another, it all depends on who you are), it’s the only thing we’ve got to cling to…
Hope.
Hope is everything. Across the world right now we find millions if not billions of human beings grounding themselves in hope, and I’m not talking about your classic definition of hope. I’m not talking about “things will get better” hope or “it’s going to be okay” hope. Yes, those are very strong, powerful, and often true hopes, but some of us are too cynical or scared or taken by despair or ‘realistic’ for all that. I’m talking here about a deeper type of hope.
I’m talking about the, maybe it won’t be okay, but then we’ll be stronger. And the, maybe it won’t get better, but we’ll learn how to handle it. The, maybe this is the toughest and longest storm we’ve ever had to weather, but somewhere beyond these damn clouds, the sun still rises.
It’s the same type of hope that exists in the phrase, “I can’t tell you if it’s all going to be okay, but you’ll get through it.” It’s not wishy-washy, it’s not presented in a way that’s only meant to make you feel better. And something about that is quite empowering.
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So I’ll end with this:
Anchor yourself in hope, always, but especially right now. Whether it be hope that we will soon return to normalcy, hope that we can find routine even in our disrupted lives, hope for health, or hope for inner peace. I can’t tell you if it’s all going to be okay, no one can, but we’ll get through it. We've got hope.