The world around us is falling into disrepair. Many of us will find ourselves unable to afford a home in Utah. Anti-trans legislation is spreading across the state. Our university partners with companies that fund weapons used by Israel against Palestinians in an ongoing genocide.
Hate is everywhere, suffocating us at every turn.
If you aren’t horrified, you’re not paying enough attention.
It is imperative we continue. The solution to the problems in the world will not come quickly or easily. It is our responsibility to fight for what is right. We must find reasons to hope and continue on.
A Student’s Responsibility
Those of us who live in the U.S. and attend college are undeniably privileged. We have opportunities that are not available to others, and we must take advantage of them.
Specifically, white students attend college at a rate above their Black and Latino peers. A study from the National Bureau of Economic Research shows that Asian American students struggle to receive the same admission opportunities as their white peers.
To my fellow white students at the University of Utah: our voices are loud. It’s time to use them. Stop allowing those in need to stand alone.
Call out professors and fellow students for bigotry. Stand in support of groups such as Armed Queers and Mecha. Buy from small businesses. Take public transport. Support queer-owned and POC-owned businesses in Utah. It’s our responsibility to make the difference that we can.
While we as individuals may not be able to change the world, every one of us has the ability to change someone else’s life. Not only do we have the ability to, but we owe it to each other. We owe each other kindness, empathy and solidarity.
The time for silence and standing by is over. If you’re tired of living in a dying world, plant the seeds of a better future.
Hope
In “The Hunger Games,” Suzanne Collins wrote, “Hope, it is the only thing stronger than fear.”
Hope can be a powerful tool in the hands of those who wield it to fight against hate.
Hope can seem unstable and inconstant. It seems to come and go, fluttering between reality and a false sense of optimism.
But hope is not optimism. It is not an empty promise. Author Roxane Gay argues hope has flown too far beyond our control. It’s time we took it back and used it as the tool it is.
“A little hope is effective, a lot of hope is dangerous,” Collins’ quote finishes,
Hope cannot continue to be some abstract concept that we use to get through day-to-day life. It must be more than that. It must become what it is meant for.
Hope motivates us to do what is right and to never stop fighting for what we believe in.
Do not use hope as optimism. Allow hope to be the driving force that pushes you to fight for change.
Glimmers
Glimmers, a commonly used therapy technique, are little moments of happiness and joy that soothe our nervous systems.
Glimmers can bring light to our lives when it seems like we have none. Recognizing our glimmers reminds us that even when the world is crashing down around us, there are still things worth living for.
I reached out on my Instagram to see what made other’s lives worth living.
“Sitting on the front porch with my roommates,” Madalyn Smith said.
“Cats perched in people’s windows,” Myca Martin said.
“Playing Joni Mitchell songs on my grandpa’s guitar,” Eleanor Scoville said.
“My sunshine blanket and how it feels on my face after a long day,” Naomi Graham said.
“When I discover a new song and play it over and over, and can’t help but dance,” Leah Jones said.
I cannot fit every response I received into this article. There were just too many.
Finding what gets us through a day is key to survival. It’s key to rekindling hope. Every person deserves to have these little moments of joy. We must fight to allow ourselves to keep our glimmers and to provide others with the opportunity to have their own.
We must each choose hope over fear. It is a choice one must make on their own.
Hope pushes us forward. Remembering the good in life and what we live for allows us to move forward with renewed hope.
The world isn’t good. I’m not here to tell you that the little moments push away all of the evil and violence that we face every single day. But I am here to tell you that despite the evil and violence, you are needed here. You are wanted here. You are somebody’s glimmer. You can bring about real change.
We owe it to ourselves to fight to find the light.
