blueocean has a sad diary today: http://www.dailykos.com/...
blue has fallen on hard times and will be leaving (hopefully only temporarily) the DKos pages to tend to some rough financial issues. Unfortunately, the comments to blue's diary find many more Kossacks in similar situations: mounting bills, uncertain job prospects, and many with health issues who can little afford insurance, let alone the ability to go without it. Heartbreaking is the only word to describe how so many of us feel for our brothers and sisters in this nation who are among those burdened by the times, but troubled further with the worry of uncertainty and even desperation.
For many of us here, words are all we have: the means to express our opinions and share with others a common cause and series of beliefs in decency and kindness and betterment for a nation and even humankind. I don't really know any of you people, but I am damned proud to be among you and read your words. They are words of great import because they are conveying something more than letters and punctuation. They are our ideas, our emotions, our curiosities, and our needs. We’ve heard a lot about hope in this election, but have lost the reference as of late to some pretty big issues... and yes, even some petty. Maybe it’s time we remembered what that hope was like again. Some of us, like blueocean, sound like they could really use it.
Below is part of a post from back in February on my website www.ijustbloggedonthecarpet.com (not pimping that out, but maybe there’s something funny or distracting there for you – rest assured, there’s certainly nothing to buy). It was my first stepping out for Barack Obama and I was awash in hope. Maybe you’ll recognize that hope, and maybe there is some comfort there... and if not, then maybe there was hope of comfort there. And when it comes to hope, we’ll take what we can to keep it alive.
Pessimism is not the absence of hope, it’s merely hope neglected. It’s a trust betrayed and a faith denied. And yet hope remains... in every action, every word, every glance to the horizon that goes looking for the rising of the sun. Hope is a belief sent speeding forth to greet what greatness comes and what happiness assured must feel like - what it will feel like. Hope is the surety of comfort to the displaced. Hope is the solemn promise of health to the ailing. Hope is the boundless freedom to those who are oppressed. Hope is the refuge of those in unrelenting struggle. Hope is the unexpected levity to those who are burdened. Hope is life in a place of ruin. Hope is coming... Hope is coming... Hope is coming because it must. Hope is here.
To those who have found a hero, the story, though fraught with uncertainty, is ultimately known. For where there is the hero, there is hope. And when we hope, we all are heroic.
So to all of the blueocean's out there, we will hope to see you soon.