Using Both Anger and Hope for Change

Staying informed is certainly important, but we can all acknowledge, watching the news sometimes can bring up a lot of anxiety. Barack Obama shares why it is important to be mindful of what you allow your brain to be exposed to: "One of the things I think the next president has to do is to stop fanning people's fears. If we spend all our time feeding the American people fear and conflict and division, then they become fearful and conflicted and divided. And if we feed them hope and we feed them reason and tolerance, then they will become tolerant and reasonable and hopeful." In this, I often hear a lot of arguments about not tolerating hate, and that it is important to stay angry to create change. I agree that discomfort an anger are powerful forces, best utilized towards action, and making the world the way you want it to be. In that though, it needs some balance, some room to recognize progress, to be able to picture the days we fight for. If all you see is injustice around you, you fail to see when justice actually happens. If you see yourself as surrounded by enemies, you don’t let down your guard enough to build a sense of community. Carry only enough anger as you can actually use and try to fuel the rest of your efforts with hope.

"One of the things I think the next president has to do is to stop fanning people's fears. If we spend all our time feeding the American people fear and conflict and division, then they become fearful and conflicted and divided. And if we feed them hope and we feed them reason and tolerance, then they will become tolerant and reasonable and hopeful."

~ Barack Obama