The Wisdom of Others

12/24/10... Yesterday I happened upon this quote by Cornel West: "Last, but not least, there is a need for audacious hope. And it's not optimism. I'm in no way an optimist. Optimism is a notion that if we keep doing what we're doing, things will get better. I don't believe that. I'm a prisoner of hope; that's something else."  From the commencement speech he gave at Wesleyan University in 1993.

I love Cornel West. He's a great pontificator, and he has the courage to speak the truth. These words of his leapt off the page at me. I've been thinking about this gratitude writing project. Seeing the many people, places and things to be grateful for is not so difficult. Writing about those things every day has been a pretty big challenge -- daunting even -- because I am not a writer, and like Cornel West, I don't think of myself as an optimist. Maybe I am hopeful, but I'm not sure. I do know that until I read these words, I would have said hope and optimism were the same. I am thankful for great minds, for people like Cornel West, who give me food for thought. I am grateful for the wisdom of others.  

Having a radar that fixes on 'the positive' doesn't mean a person only sees silver linings, but that's obvious, right? There are some pitfalls to avoid in writing about thankfulness. It can come across as self important, grandiose or trite, lapse into cheery feel-goodism, bland pollyanna niceness, or what I really fear: writing that makes people cringe and roll their eyes. This exercise has been eye opening, and I am thankful for that, too. Today is Christmas Eve. I said I would write about something I am grateful for, every day for 30 days, but I am going to take a break for a few days. I thank my friends who inspired me to try this experiment. I wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season.