Hope is the strongest emotion humans have.

Without the gift of hope, there is no reason to live.

When void of hope, we cannot imagine the future having a different outcome than the current course.  What else is there to make us carry on when life has brought us to our knees, in despair?

When all hope is lost, we question God’s existence, wondering what kind of God would allow such human suffering.

To have hope is to know in our hearts there is no possible scenario where things will end well, but to somehow carry on anyway.

To have hope is to have no control over a situation, yet believe that, somehow, it will be ok. 

Hope is what forces us to keep living when our heart has been broken in two. It’s that flicker of light inside us that cannot let go of the chance… that impossible chance that even though we do not have a solution now if we somehow persevere, we will find a way. 

Today, peace on earth means hope. It means hope to me because I know there will never be peace in the way we meant it to be as children… in a way that is peaceful. We know it will never mean that. We have lived too long and seen too much pain and suffering… too much greed and cruelty… too much inhumanity. Yet we live on and we keep hope for this type of peace we know will never exist.

As a child, peace on earth meant a world where everyone had the minimum necessary to live a content life and everything was peaceful everywhere.

But things changed as I grew up and came to see the complexities of the world… how history takes a toll on the future by damaging it in irreparable ways. Wisdom and experience tell us, it will not happen. Ever.

I came to realize that peace on earth is not enough. The goal of wanting peace on earth for our world is a choice to underachieve. This is because peace on earth does not equal justice. It does not mean everyone has their needs met. It does not mean there is no suffering.  It does not mean people have enough food, water, shelter, and clothing. It does not mean we are fulfilled inside enough to have the inner contentment necessary to care deeply for our fellow citizens as if they were ourselves.

Peace means silence, but silence doesn’t always mean hope. Oftentimes, it means we have given up and acquiesced to our plight. It means we have lost all hope and stopped caring, trying, or fighting to better things.

Inaction towards systemic problems in our world is a very quiet state of being. It may appear to be peaceful, but it is simply the loss of hope. Peace on earth is great for the people in power. But there is an indomitable spirit in each of our hearts that will not give up hope… especially when it feels like all hope is gone. We need peace on Earth to mean more than simply silence. We need it to mean hope… hope for a better tomorrow for all of humankind.

Peace means everyone is quiet but it doesn’t mean everybody is happy or has hope.