“My friends, love is better than
anger.
Hope is better than fear.
Optimism is better than despair.
So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic.
And we’ll
change the world.”
Jack Layton.
As
Jack Layton is laid to rest, thousands of Canadians mourn the passing of this
extraordinary man and hang on to his last words. His record as a humanitarian
and likable politician—no mean feat—will be fondly remembered, by the nation,
including me.
I believed his politics unworkable, but respected the man
himself, his passion and energy were inspiring, and few of us will attain that
standard, and most like me will fall miserably short. Yet his words at the head
of this blog, as inspiring as they sound, leave something to be desired.
While no one will dispute that the positive is better than
the negative, I wonder what secures his hope and optimism and what motivates
his love. The state of the world has not improved throughout history, and it’s
not hard to speculate it has declined during the appalling last century.
If our eyes are upon human progress, hope is against hope,
and optimism fails to face the truth about life on earth. I watched a lady from
Afghanistan last week say, with tears; she has lost hope for her country. Even
if Afghanistan becomes stable, war, famine, or plague will break out elsewhere.
But that is not to say that we have no reason for hope or
optimism, but its basis must be beyond human endeavour, for our hope is “not on
what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is
unseen is eternal,” 2 Corinthians 4:18.
For the Christian, faith replaces both optimism and fear,
as, despite the world’s problems, we see God working his purposes out in
history, and our efforts contributing to His kingdom coming, and His will being
done on earth as it is in heaven, Matthew 6:10.
And our love for others is not prompted by reward or
primarily their need. It is a reflection and continuation of the greatest love
of all: the love God has expressed for us in Jesus Christ. We maintain our
faith, hope and love, often in the face of reality, because they are secured in
the certainty of His promises.
