“Hope is not optimism. It is a belief that together we can make the world better. It is a belief rooted in struggle.”
— Brittney Cooper, author of Eloquent Rage
There is a war on your attention, your joy, and your belief in your own power. In 2025, it’s easy — and frankly logical — to feel hopeless. But here’s the thing: they are counting on that. They want you to scroll yourself numb, to throw your hands up and say, “There’s nothing we can do.”
But what if the grittiest, realest rebellion left… is hope?
This post isn’t going to give you sunshine and bullsh*t.
It’s for the tired ones.
The furious ones.
The ones who still — somehow — have the nerve to care.
Because there’s always something we can do.
And it starts right here.
We’ve Been Conditioned to Feel Hopeless
I can’t help but think back to the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955-1956, which started with Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat for a white man, continued with a 13 month mass protest of Black people organizing against the bus system, and ended with an official integration of the Montgomery bus systems.
Undeniably, this was a MASSIVE WIN. An incredible show of sustained solidarity, commitment, and combined community effort in the name of equality and justice. A blueprint of what sustained, unified action could do.
However, let’s not gloss over one of the most important lessons-
The U.S. Supreme Court didn’t rule in favor of justice because they had a change of heart.
They ruled because Montgomery was losing too much money.
Not empathy. Economics.
As depressing and pathetic as that is, I am grateful they showed us their cards. Now we know how to win. (and how the real hopeless ones act)
Evidently, they know this too. Since then (honestly since always), they’ve intentionally designed society so that people coming together in such a way again, feels pretty much impossible.
- Working 9-5
- Stressed about money
- Distracted by social media
- Depressed by the news
- Divided by politics
- Hopeless under a new “president”
In summary, they have brilliantly orchestrated a fractured society that will very likely never come together like Montgomery again.
Let’s ruin their plaN
Change has always come from regular people who refused to give in — even when everything told them it was pointless.
So if you’re angry? If you’re grieving? If you’re tired and unsure but still somehow reading this anyway?
You are exactly who they’re afraid of.
Because you haven’t gone numb yet. You still care.
And that means something dangerous still lives inside you:
→ The belief that another world is possible.
Listen — this isn’t about pretending everything’s fine. It’s not about ignoring your fear or slapping a smile on the ruins. Hope is not a mood. On the contrary it is a choice. On the whole, Hope is a daily decision to not let them win.
- Sometimes that looks like marching in the streets.
- Sometimes that looks like resting.
- Sometimes that looks like making art
- Writing blogs
- Having hard conversations,
- Raising kids with compassion
- Hosting a game night with music and best friends
- or refusing to shut up at work (my personal favorite)
Bottom line- You don’t have to do it all. But you do have to believe — even just a little — that you can do something.
And that’s where we go next.
Coming Up in Part 2: There’s Always Something We Can Do
If you’ve ever asked, “But what can I actually do?”
The next post is for you.
We’re going to talk about:
- How to act from wherever you are,
- How to stay connected to your power
- How tiny decisions ripple into enormous change
- How hope becomes momentum — and momentum becomes action
https://stan.store/SarahSpirals
Must be remembered- You’re not alone. You’re not powerless.
You are exactly what this moment needs.
And we’re just getting started.
