The Leap of Hope Elie Wiesel contends at the heart of activism for justice and peace requires a leap of hope in the face of dismal realities, undeniable lack of progress, and internal despair. He contends we must not give into despair because hope is a choice. The 5th chapter in Ariel Burger’s memoir-ish like book about Wiesel as a teacher,
Yes, the leap of hope is a choice. It's a conscious choice. It's a refusal to be sidetracked by appearances. In one of my favorite old movies, when a simple character is handed a ping pong paddle, he is given one word of advice: "keep your eye on the ball." That's the conscious choice. It's to choose to believe that attitudes and situations can be changed - slowly at times, even imperceptibly, but at times in situations that seem impossible to change, we make that leap of hope because the God of Hope pushes for hope even in what seems to be a hopeless world.
Yes, the leap of hope is a choice. It's a conscious choice. It's a refusal to be sidetracked by appearances. In one of my favorite old movies, when a simple character is handed a ping pong paddle, he is given one word of advice: "keep your eye on the ball." That's the conscious choice. It's to choose to believe that attitudes and situations can be changed - slowly at times, even imperceptibly, but at times in situations that seem impossible to change, we make that leap of hope because the God of Hope pushes for hope even in what seems to be a hopeless world.