Why I'm Hopeful

Hope is neither trendy nor popular right now, but it is practical and effective (and feels pretty darn good)

Photo credit Ron Smith

I’ve been an animal advocate for more than 30 years, and I see enough cruelty every day to have a pretty bleak view of the world: And yet, I have hope.

No, I’m not a mythical creature. No, I’m not delusional, and yes, I’m paying attention...so much so that I’m quite aware, for instance, that

• in the U.S. every year, over 9 billion animals are brought into this world only to be killed for human consumption.

• elephants are killed in their homes for their tusks.

• and wild animals face the consequences of habitat loss, global warming, and poaching and trapping.

And yet, I have hope.

I have hope because I dwell on what I can solve rather than on what I can’t.

I have hope because there’s much to be hopeful about. History gives you great perspective if you just step back.

I have hope because outrage doesn’t change the world. Vision and vigilance do — along with the political, technological, economic, and moral forces that drive progress forward. I’m hopeful, because

• I live in a Democratic country. I can criticize elected officials, I can vote them out, and I can exercise my power and privilege to help those who have neither.

• Scientific and technological advances—like renewable energy—are rising worldwide, driving down emissions and accelerating the shift to a cleaner world.

• I live in an economic system that empowers visionaries to test their innovations in the marketplace and that gives me the choice to support companies and products that reflect my taste and ethics — and reject those that don’t.

• I surround myself with people dedicated to creating solutions for a brighter future.

• I avoid the outrage-driven, doom-and-gloom news loop designed to keep us fearful, powerless, and hopeless.

• I believe in progress. I proactively read about what is working in the world and focus on the agency I have to do the right thing.

My hope is not delusional; it’s rooted in facts, science, reason, and statistics.

My hope is not complacent; it’s provisional. It’s the difference between wanting things to change and taking action to facilitate that change.

My hope is rooted in joy. We don’t have to be angry all the time to demonstrate we care. We don’t have to be outraged to show that we’re conscious. We can be acutely aware, actively engaged, politically minded, and still have hope.

And so I'm hopeful, and I hope you are, too.

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NOTE: This piece originally appeared as an opinion editorial on NPR (KQED) Radio, for whom I was a contributor for 15 years. (The original audio is just below if you’d like to listen). In the above written piece, I updated the text to reflect the time that has passed—30 years an animal advocate rather than 25.

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