I spend a lot of time thinking about how to make things better. It's a compulsion of sorts. Take myself, for instance. Each day, I am amazed by how much I still don't know. I've been on this planet for almost four decades, and I've already forgotten at least half of what I've learned. Then there's the realm of emotions and personal growth. No matter how long and how hard I have been trying since childhood, I am still working on the same list of virtues: patience, perseverance, courage, self-control, humility, mercy, honesty, sacrifice. It seems that every time I take a step forward, I see how much further I have yet to go.
But there is one virtue that comes more easily to me than any other, and that is hope. I can't help but look for the silver lining. There is always room for improvement, always a solution waiting to be found, always a chance for reconciliation and redemption. There is always a breakthrough around the corner, a new way of viewing a situation, a fresh approach to an apparent stalemate. There is always a lesson to be learned from a mistake, a way to make amends, an opportunity to start again.
Of course, I feel as discouraged as anyone else upon hearing disheartening news, from the personal to the global. Sometimes, it's tempting to give in to fear and distress, to a sense of powerlessness. But then I take a good look at all of the problem-solvers and the healers and the givers, and I behold the immense capacity of human beings for adaptation and innovation and cooperation, and I think, there is hope. Hope for a better world. Hope for a better life. Hope for the future.
It is my stubborn and persistent hope that drives most of what I do. I studied political science and international relations in college because I wanted to bring peace and prosperity to the world. I studied education in graduate school because I believed that the key to a better future lies in empowering our youth. I worked in state government because I wanted to be involved in the process of improving education at the state level. I volunteer at church because I have seen the way that a loving community can facilitate amazing transformations and can offer much-needed support for someone going through a difficult time. I make music because believe in its power to inspire and connect and heal. And ultimately, I began homeschooling my children because I had faith in their potential, and in my own potential to be the right teacher for them.
This compulsive hope is what drives me to seek wisdom in a variety of domains: innovative approaches to education, spiritual guidance, practical tips on healthy living and preserving the environment, strategies for tackling social problems, and of course, parenting advice. It can be exhausting and overwhelming to think about this stuff all the time. But it's who I am. As long as I have breath, I will keep trying to solve problems, to heal others' wounds, to spread peace, to conserve our natural resources, to work toward a world in which all children have their needs met.
Yes, I realize that I can't do all of this myself. That's where this blog comes in. I want to share my ideas, my inspiration, my challenges, and my research with those who share my desire to make things better. I sincerely hope that you'll find something here that will be helpful to you, and that you'll pass it along. We can achieve great things when we work together, when we help and encourage each other, when we share ideas and inspiration with one another. To quote O. S. Mardan: "There is no medicine like hope, no incentive so great, and no tonic so powerful as expectation of something tomorrow."
