WANTED: Figures of Hope

The country is in need of figures of hope at every level and in every institution. Jesus, man of hope, died on the cross, giving himself literally and figuratively for something greater than himself.

The parallels between Jesus’ week of Passion from Palm Sunday to his Good Friday crucifixion and our own country at the present time are quite striking. Our country needs not only figures of hope, but also people who are prepared to lay down their lives for a better nation, both literally and figuratively.

The choruses on talk shows, blogs, Facebook, WhatsApp and letters to the editor all seem to diagnose the ills of our society. Much energy is being applied in assessing the needs both of our nation and our institutions.

This is good in and of itself because the converse of this is social numbness, which must be vehemently rejected. Notwithstanding the value in social engagement, we must move from recommendations to personal action. Those who act and are prepared to lay down their lives for the common good would be the figures of hope we desperately need at this time.

Our diagnosis of our country’s ills whether, scientific or not in methodology, is just one part of our social and moral responsibility. We need to channel the energy of marches, walks, symposiums and so on into selfless volunteerism at the service of the common good.

We need to apply the same kind of energy to working towards structural solutions that would help our institutions evolve. Any sociologist, social psychologist or trained social worker will tell you we need a lot of work at all levels of society in order to reverse the current trajectory towards social and institutional collapse. The time and energy to do so is the “cross” and the willingness of individuals to take up this “cross” is the hope we need.

We thank God for the figures of hope that do exist in our police service, in our teaching profession, our medical institutions and in other areas of the society. Clearly, however, the problems are so huge that we are in need of a grater commitment in all spheres, to work through what needs fixing.

Hope and creativity are cousins. To create something new or bring fresh perspectives in dire circumstances such as ours is a cause of hope for others.

The judge or magistrate who is creative in his or her custodial sentencing is a reason for hope. The prison officer who is rehabilitative rather than punitive is a cause for hope. The businessman who chooses to farm the land and create agri-industry instead of putting up a concrete jungle is a sign of hope. The corporate media giants who give time and media space to help get the message of volunteerism out are sources of hope. In summary, government and all stakeholders must find creative ways of generating hope. The creativity of all our people must be unleashed allowing them to stand boldly and courageously as figures of hope.