Feeling hopeful this chilly February morning

Does 2024 feel normal yet? I feel February is usually the time we start remembering to write the correct year and the world starts the settling in process. I know it's begun for me in my personal life. But I've also been reflecting on the state of the world in 2024 and our development of global consciousness.

Major wars exist in the Yemen, Ukraine, and Palestinian-Israeli conflicts, among several other ongoing armed conflicts. The world can't agree or act on climate change. Many countries in the world are polarized politically and economically. Technological advancements' impacts on media have created a truth crisis. And it feels like we are (slowly or rapidly, depending on your perception and emotional state) losing our critical thinking skills. Oh, what to do?

There's no panacea, no one solution that will magically wave away these interconnected issues. We'll have to enact several policy changes, and as individuals commit to action on various principles, in order to effect change. But there is one prerequisite; one I've struggled to maintain at times through last year: hope. We can't talk about the problem without hope. We can't brainstorm solutions to our problems without hope. We can't develop global consciousness, or unite humanity, without hope. Inspiring change starts with holding that tiny little spark of inspiration within you: it begins with believing in, and maintaining, hope. By cultivating hope, we can change the world.