Contemplative THREADS for the community

Between nihilism and hope...I choose the sober path of the principle of hope

I’m sorry that I missed writing to you yesterday. I was in bed all day with what appears to have been a stomach bug. I am doing better, now, thanks to lots of rest and LMNT hydration. This time in bed gave me lots of time to think and to lean into the art of contemplation. So, I thought I’d write on what’s been on my heart and fold in the contemplative threads at the bottom. Enjoy!

I don’t need to tell you that the world is on fire. In every aspect, the consolidation of global powers haunts me. It sometimes feels easier to walk into the nothingness of nihilism, but I am choosing the principle of hope. Let me explain.

Photo by Faris Mohammed on Unsplash

I have been highly influenced by my teachers and by extension their teachers. When I was in grad school I read everything that I could get my hands on. My world was expanding and I wanted to understand how to live a meaningful life when the Bush administration was in office. I am still on that path of wanting to live a meaningful life, which is why I choose the principle of hope.

Ernst Bloch, a Jewish Atheist Philosopher, devoted three volumes to the principle of hope. When I read the first volume, I could see more clearly. I could feel the texture of hope. It makes me wonder, now, how do we choose the principle of hope when hopelessness is all around us?

For me, I’ve decided to take a sabbatical from my public facing work that often happens when I travel the country and even sometimes the world. I had a great chance to travel to South Korea to give a talk to activists there and have just returned from Canada where I gave a series of talks. As I wrote many years ago, I am still becoming, and the principle of hope (for me) is choosing the sober path of wisdom and contemplation. I hope to be writing more regularly and making a big announcement about my next iteration of being a theologian, soon. But for now, let us rest in the wisdom of contemplation and Ernst Bloch’s the principle of hope.

“The most tragic form of loss isn't the loss of security; it's the loss of the capacity to imagine that things could be different.”
― Ernst Bloch

Onward, —Dr. Roberto