The Story of Hope in America
The Story of Hope in America
Times are getting tough in the world today. Thunderheads are gathering again on the horizon. The storms of economic downturn, pandemic, climate change, and civil unrest that have flooded our communities are still wreaking havoc on our streets. We haven’t had the time to rebuild our lives or homes. We are still just trying to survive. It’s times like this when we hear the whispers of civil war and loss of long-held human rights, the rising of authoritarian specters we thought we had already killed. The fear of losing it all. The fear of losing hope itself.
But in my thinking, now is when we need hope the most. We, as humans, are hardwired for hope. However, hope is complicated. We have to have a way to safeguard hope and plant the seeds of change for humanity’s better future.
The current state of hope in the United States is complex and multifaceted, influenced by various social, economic, political, and cultural factors. On the one hand, there are reasons for hope, such as the recent progress in addressing systemic issues of inequality and social injustice, the development of new technologies, and the resilience of communities in the face of challenges.
On the other hand, there are also reasons for concern and pessimism, such as ongoing political polarization, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy and public health, and the ongoing struggle to address climate change and environmental issues. Moreover, many individuals and communities are experiencing a sense of dislocation, uncertainty, and loss, which can undermine hope and resilience.
Despite the challenges, it is crucial to recognize that hope is not a fixed state but rather a dynamic and evolving process shaped by individual and collective actions. By coming together and working toward shared goals, people can create positive change and promote a sense of hope for the future. In this sense, the state of hope in the United States depends on the actions of its citizens and the choices they make.
The question arises: How do we best weaponize hope like that mythical sword in the stone? How can we best wield it when we struggle just to breathe, live, and get by?
Luckily, we already have one of the answers to that. Along with hope, we are hardwired for another powerful tool to keep the forces of darkness at bay. We have had it and know how to use it since we first started venturing out into the wilds of the world. After surviving another day and night’s darkness enveloping the light, we gathered around a fire. We ate together, talked to one another, and told each other stories. We sang songs, and we created art. Together, we dreamed of better lives and ways to solve our communal problems. Together we kept fear and darkness at bay and created a better world. It is our Excalibur.
Stories have been used throughout history to create hope and inspire positive change across cultures and periods. Some examples of how storytelling has been used in the past and present to create hope:
• Storytelling as a tool for resistance and survival: Throughout history, marginalized groups have used storytelling as a tool for resistance and survival. In the era of slavery, Black Americans used stories and songs to preserve their cultural heritage and express their hopes for freedom. During World War II, Jews in Nazi concentration camps used storytelling as a means of resistance, creating fictional stories and performing plays to maintain a sense of hope and humanity in the face of unimaginable atrocities.
• Fables and myths: Many cultures have used legends and myths to teach essential life lessons and provide a sense of hope and inspiration. For example, the ancient Greeks used myths to explore complex ideas such as love, power, and the human condition. For instance, the story of Pandora’s Box teaches us that even in the darkest times, there is always hope, represented by the gift of hope left at the bottom of the box.
• Storytelling for social change: In contemporary times, storytelling has been used to promote social and political change. The #MeToo movement, for example, was driven by personal stories of sexual harassment and assault, which helped raise awareness and create a sense of solidarity among those affected. Similarly, the Black Lives Matter movement has used storytelling to expose the systemic racism and inequality in many parts of society and inspire people to work toward a more just and equitable future. An example of how storytelling has been used in the past to reshape hope for the future is the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s. Leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks used powerful narratives to inspire people and to create a vision for a more just and equitable society. Their speeches, such as King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, used storytelling to create a sense of hope and to inspire people to work toward a better future.
• Personal narratives of hope: Personal narratives of hope and resilience can be powerful tools for inspiring change. For example, Malala Yousafzai, the young activist for girls’ education who survived a Taliban assassination attempt, has used her personal story to inspire millions worldwide to work toward a brighter future. She has said, “I believe in the power of stories. They convey the hopes and dreams of people, and they bring us together, no matter how different we may be.”
From fables and myths to personal narratives, storytelling has the power to connect people, foster understanding, and inspire collective action.
You can find examples in your own life. Just think back to the darkest days of your life journey and ask yourself, what song got you through your worst day? What movie helped you to forget your darkest hour and inspired you to get to a better place? What book drew you in so much that you were able to forget the difficult world around you?
For me, the most recent way storytelling has helped me get through my life was in the week before my first major book was published by Skyhorse Publishing—The Perils of Extremism: How I Left the Oath Keepers and Why We Should be Concerned about a Future Civil War—in the year following when I was asked to speak my truth to the January 6th Select Committee and, in turn, the world. It was watching the inspiring story of the Wu-Tang: An American Saga that got me through that nerve-wracking week. The story has helped me cut through my insecurities and anxiety from being pushed onto the world’s news-cycle stage.
To support this thought of the role of storytelling in reshaping hope for the future, we have science to back up this strategy.
Narrative psychology is a subfield that focuses on storytelling’s role in human experience, identity, and well-being. It seeks to understand how people use stories to make sense of their lives and how stories shape our perceptions of ourselves and the world around us. Narrative psychology draws on various theoretical and methodological approaches, including social constructionism, discourse analysis, and literary theory.
Some of the key concepts and themes within narrative psychology include:
• Narrative identity: Narrative psychologists are interested in how people construct their sense of self through storytelling. They study how people use stories to make sense of past experiences, present circumstances, and future aspirations and how this narrative identity evolves.
• Narrative therapy: Narrative therapy has also been applied to the field of psychotherapy. Narrative therapists work with clients to help them reframe their personal narratives and find new meaning and possibilities in their lives.
• Cultural narratives: Narrative psychologists are interested in how cultural narratives shape our beliefs, values, and behaviors. They study how cultural stories and myths influence our perceptions of ourselves and others and how they can be used to promote social change.
• Embodied narratives: Narrative psychology also acknowledges the role of the body in storytelling. It recognizes that stories are not just intellectual constructs but are also illustrated and emotional experiences.
Some of the methods used in narrative psychology research include interviews, surveys, and content analysis. Researchers may ask participants to tell their life stories or narratives related to a specific topic and then analyze the themes and patterns that emerge from these stories.
In summary, narrative psychology is a field that seeks to understand how storytelling shapes our sense of self, our relationships with others, and our understanding of the world. It has broad applications in psychotherapy, education, and social change. It has the potential to provide insight into the role of storytelling in human experience and well-being.
There is some magic in the power of hope and storytelling when changing our world. But it will come down to this generation’s creative storytellers. The heroes of our past are now passed on to their next journey. This time is ours, and no one is coming to save us. It is up to us to step up and become the heroes we so desperately need. It is up to us to tell our story, and through that story, inspire hope in not only ourselves, but in future generations.