Fishbowl Forum: Hope in Hard Times

‘There are legitimate grounds for hope in hard times, but not one speck of ground for wishful thinking of any kind. We won’t be rescued by more research, hypertechnology, or some deus ex machina. There is no anonymous “they” who will figure things out … In our situation, as Vaclav Havel has stated, “Hope is definitely not the same as optimism. It is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out”. Optimism cannot be commanded, as Frankl observed, but hope can be nurtured by doing good work, being open to life, and rising above our lesser selves. Hope, real hope, comes from doing the things before us that need to be done in the spirit of thankfulness and celebration, without worrying about whether we will win or lose.’

David Orr, Hope in Hard Times; 

from the 2nd edition of his 1994 book of essays Earth in Mind: on education, environment, and the human prospect, Island Press 2004

As part of Borrowed Time’s final session, you are invited to bring something or someone to this session that you have encountered during our three days together which struck you or challenged your understanding of hope, and its relevance to our socio-ecological crisis. 

For the visionary environmentalist and educator David Orr hope was an attitude towards living, not an opinion about the future. Orr’s understanding of hope is offered here as a provocation, and an invitation to respond – his notion of it being implicitly present in the framing of Borrowed Time itself.

There are of course many other ways of approaching hope; this session asks you to consider how whatever understanding of hope you arrived here with might have been changed by who and what you’ve met in Borrowed Time. 

We’ll gather to share our personal responses to others’ offerings, and take it from there. All are most welcome to join us, whether or not you feel inclined to speak. The conversation will take place using the ‘Fishbowl’ method: at any one time there will only be four of us on-screen, and each time one of us reaches a natural end, we’ll step out to make room for another player. No need to pre-register, and we look forward to hearing your impressions.

[image: we want to thank the wonderful artist Sarah Gillespie for the use of her ‘Fallen Bee’ image which has been the icon that has accompanied us on this long journey of Borrowed Time. sarahgillespie.com]