hope 15
Despair Is Part of Life, but Not All of Life
Her heartfelt lament may sound like despair, and in a way it is, save for a crucial difference.
Bobwhite
Every year that we farm in the old ways, more of nature returns, despite the mistakes we make. Each return teaches hope.
Hope Out of Despair: A Review of Byung-Chul Han’s The Spirit of Hope
But I suspect that this stirring book will strike a chord with many readers of Front Porch Republic.
An Irrelevant (and Irreverent) Celebration of Hope and Fun
After fifteen largely joyful years of existence, it seems appropriate to ask whether we have retained our relevance. The struggle to catch and hold the public’s attention proves even more…
Prophetic History: A Review of A History of the Island
Contemporary sensibilities tend to prefer the nihilist abyss to such salvation, even as we pathetically pursue the latest "cure" for that emptiness—be that radical politics, surgical revisions to our anatomy,…
Localism and the War on Drugs: A Review of The Least of Us
For Quinones, the twin opioid and meth epidemics have their origins in the destruction of community. The decline of local institutions creates a vacuum of isolation and hopelessness in which…
Twenty Years Later
Elizabeth Stice remembers the impact of the events of 9/11 on college students 20 years ago. Now a college professor, she considers the disillusionment of her own students, and how…
The Danger of Hope: Lana Del Rey, Stephen King, and Wendell Berry in the Days of COVID-19
Lana Del Rey. Wendell Berry. Stephen King. Singer-songwriter. Poet-novelist-essayist farmer. Horror writer. What brings these three seemingly disparate artists together in my imagination? Hope.
After Apple-Planting
Our trees are unlikely to make a measurable difference in global carbon dioxide levels, and they will not do anything to hasten the end of the coronavirus pandemic, but according…
Brass Spittoon: Imagining Hope for 2020
Wilfred M. McClay, Bethany Hebbard, and Jake Meador consider what recent trends—considered at the local, regional, and global scales—give reason for hope in 2020.
Love Is Its Own Justification: Wendell Berry and the Lure of Political Efficacy
Scialabba insists that our actions are meritorious and good if they are effective, if they transform society and lead to measurable improvements. Berry, on the other hand, upholds love as…
Gridlock and the Common Good
Events may soon conspire to force a conversation about the common good and the limits of power. Until that happens, gridlock may be the best option.
Mobilizing on the Left: Progressivism, Populism, and the Language of Political Salvation
Progressives must re-learn to advocate for community self-determination, and work to link political activity on this level to national politics.
Think on These Things: Unexpected Sunshine in Washington
Three years ago, I could not imagine Ron Paul winning the CPAC straw poll. Now he has. The doom and gloom evoked by the rich and powerful are realities in…
Against Pessimism
Alexandria, VA My last post has led some to conclude that I am a pessimist. Even Ross Douthat, among the most perceptive commentators in print and on internet, suggested that…
