It’s very easy to feel hopeless right now if you live in the United States. And sometimes I do feel that way myself. But I still see reasons to have hope and I think it’s important to share them and get conversation going about the good things that are still happening all around us.
#1 The resistance is alive and well. The No More Kings protests have drawn massive crowds not only in the blue states but in the red states too. There have been massive gatherings in Boise Idaho, Oklahoma City, Louisville Kentucky, Dallas, and Nashville among many others. Every poll- even ones conducted by right leaning organizations- show that the approval ratings for Trump are in the basement and falling like a rock. Boycotts against companies who have rolled back their DEI policies have done real damage to companies as large as Target.
#2 Pride is alive and well. June was Pride month and those gatherings also drew huge crowds nationwide. The new pope Leo has stated that the Catholic church will continue to bless same sex unions. Most mainstream Protestant denominations perform marriages for all couples regardless of their gender. Transphobia is still a problem, but given where homophobia was just a few years ago I have hope that the younger generations will continue to progress in this area.
#3 The Big Beautiful Bill worst parts don’t go into effect for months if not years from now. This gives plenty of time to replace the lawmakers who voted for it and repeal / replace it with something more humane.
#4 My interactions with the people I see every day. Sure, it’s easy to go online and spout all kinds of hate and rhetoric. And I certainly know people who do. But the vast majority of them aren’t as brash in person. Even the ones who hide behind “Christian values” don’t normally spout their brand of online venom when face to face with someone they have no trouble calling a sinner online.
So yes, I still have hope at least some of the time. And I hope these thoughts do the same for you.