Imagine Who We Can Be – People with Hope
The Book of Hope, A Survival Guide for Trying Times, is the name of Jane Goodall’s last book, published in 2021.
The Audacity of Hope, Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream, is the name of Barack Obama’s book published in 2006, shortly before he ran for president.
Reason for Hope, A Spiritual Journey, is the name of Jane Goodall’s book published in 1999.
And, HOPE was the theme of Zohran Mamdani’s acceptance speech as the newly elected mayor of New York City on November 5, 2025.
Mamdani explained that “Hope is alive!” Hope was the decision made by millions of voters as they marked their ballots. Voters chose hope over tyranny, hope over big money and small ideas, and hope over despair.
Mamdani stated that “New Yorkers allowed themselves to hope that the impossible could be made possible!”
That is the theme of this blog, “Imagine Who We Can Be.” I selected this theme to give us hope after the devasting results of the 2024 presidential election.
But what is hope? Goodall stated that hope is often misunderstood as “passive wishful thinking.” She believes that is “the opposite of real hope, which requires action and engagement.” Her last book was written to “help people realize that their actions, however small they may seem, will truly make a difference. The cumulative effect of thousands of ethical actions can help to save our world for future generations.”
Mamdani emphasized that his victory was the cumulative effect of the tens of thousands of New Yorkers volunteering shift after shift despite vicious attack ads and the tens of millions of dollars spent on misinformation and disinformation.
In The Audacity of Hope, Obama stated that the topic of his book was about how “We might begin the process of changing our politics and our civic life.” Nearly two decades later, that is the same perspective Mamdani proclaimed as he called for a government of both competence and compassion. He urged New Yorkers to “leave mediocrity in our past” and for Democrats to “dare to be great!”
It takes hope to believe in what could be possible! It requires small acts by millions to make change that we truly can believe in!
One of my favorite quotations is, “Small steps actually taken lead to more progress than great steps that never happen.” This quote is by Marilyn Paul in her book It’s Hard to Make a Difference When You Can’t Find Your Keys.
What is YOUR next small step?
