We are told to “stay hopeful.” But what kind of hope have we been offered?
The hope of outcomes: work hard and the system will reward you.
The hope of politics: stay patient and change will come.
The hope of institutions: keep faith and the next plan will deliver.
This hope is not sustaining. It numbs, postpones, pacifies.
But another kind of hope is possible. A hope that:
- Plants without proof of growth.
- Tends relationships without asking for outcomes.
- Acts faithfully, even when results are uncertain.
In this workshop:
Story - The Garden of Uncertain Light: A parable of a garden where no promise is given, but tending continues anyway.
Essay - The Trouble with Hope: Rethinking hope as discipline, fidelity, and orientation rather than strategy.
Study Guide - The Garden of Uncertain Light: Practices for fallow time, planting without proof, tending neglected places, and garden meditation.
What you’ll gain
- A deeper, truer sense of hope that survives disillusionment.
- Practices for faithfulness in uncertainty.
- Courage to act without waiting for guarantees.
- A space to explore grief and fidelity with others.