Why Hope?

There is no shortage of toxic leaders, but to blame any of them for large scale division/polarization, is neither productive or accurate. Such leaders emerge as symptomatic evidence of what's already present in society. Bringing such social pathology to light isn't a bad thing. A lot of folks talk about the "good old days," back in the fifties and sixties. I doubt that things were as good then as they are now. It's just that some but not all bad behavior in those days was largely kept secret. Some such behaviors were more overt, such as lynchings, discrimination, segregation legally sanctioned sexism and misogyny. There was a larger middle class, but its existence led to greater suffering among those marginalized. Consider though, that in times of major catastrophes, many people come and work together, who at other times would not be able to tolerate each other. Disasters become common ground, and "better angels" emerge. Sometimes those who seem least likely or even looked down upon become heroes. Even those with extremely opposite political views will save each other's lives. That suggests to me that all hope is not lost. If a person takes the time to pay attention, it's possible to see countless stars within the social darkness. I don't know what life will be like in a few years, or even days. Still, there's enough Love in the world to keep me hopeful.