August 23, 2024
Learning
'Hope is the warrior emotion that can lay waste to cynicism.'
Last week Nick Cave visited Stephen Colbert's late night show. He recalled a question a reader had posted on his Red Hand Files newsletter: “Do you still believe in us human beings?” His reply went viral.
Last week Nick Cave visited Stephen Colbert's late night show. He recalled a question a reader had posted on his Red Hand Files newsletter: “Do you still believe in us human beings?” His reply went viral.
Last week Nick Cave visited Stephen Colbert's late night show. He recalled a question a reader had posted on his Red Hand Files newsletter: “Do you still believe in us human beings?” His reply went viral.
"Unlike cynicism, hopefulness is hard-earned, makes demands upon us, and can often feel like the most indefensible and lonely place on Earth. Hopefulness is not a neutral position — it is adversarial. It is the warrior emotion that can lay waste to cynicism.
"Each redemptive or loving act, as small as you like — such as reading to your little boy, showing him something you love, singing him a song, or putting on his shoes — keeps the devil down in the hole.
"It says the world and its inhabitants have value, and are worth defending.
"It says the world is worth believing in.
"In time, we come to find that this is so."
