How do we fight hopelessness?
What is hopelessness? I’d describe it as that feeling in the pit of your stomach when you know you are powerless to help a dire situation. It is the feeling of having no control. It is the realization of our human limitations.
But there must be something we can do, right?
The answer is yes, there is something we can do. As we watch the fall of Kabul and Afghanistan to the terrorist organization, the Taliban, I feel helpless. It is devastating to watch as mothers and fathers running with their children in hand towards a full capacity plane unable to transport them out of there now hostile country. It is heartbreaking to watch as they are forced to flee their home. Even more so now, it is sickening to read reports of Marines dying today from an explosion at the Kabul Airport.
Admittedly, my first inclination is to get angry. I get angry at our leadership for making the decision to pull out support in the manner that they did. I get angry at what feels like a careless and willful neglect to leave the Afghan people’s country unsupported by precautionary measures to ensure their government remains intact to protect their citizens from the Taliban Regime. I get angry at this hopeless feeling that my anger can’t fix anything. My anger can not change the situation. So, naturally, this throws me further into anger. But what good is this anger?
There is no good that comes of this anger other than to eventually throw me into hopelessness. So what can be done on my end? The answer is one many will no doubt snark at and loudly roll their eyes at. This is okay because the first time this was suggested to me I did the same. The answer is prayer.
Prayer for our leadership to find a pathway forward to aid the Afghan people. Prayer for our leadership to execute appropriate measures and save lives. Because I challenge you to tell me what good will my anger do, what good will your anger do?
***I wrote this a few days ago and since have made a few edits. The most important one is to tell you there IS more we can do following prayer. FIGHT! FIGHT for better leadership to be put in place. FIGHT for elections like your life and the lives of your children depends on it because if this current event has shown us anything, it is that failed leadership costs lives.***