A friend pointed out that his community had gone a full year without any intentional loss of life (murders). The note struck a familiar cord. Singapore’s press likes good news! Singapore is clean, organized, and residents care for each other, at least we want it to be. There is an idea that we must always start with the good news. Bad news is never buried, however it is put in context. This is a world filled with hope and opportunity. Our tag lines never seem to change. Life is challenging. We are moving in the right way to meet the challenges and make our world a better place.
As positive as this sounds, the real world, even here, is filled with details that are rough, abrasive, and painful. Good people as well as those struggling to be their best live together in communities. When someone gives in to evil, the story takes a turn for the worse. I look out and know that there are those who “are warts on your love feasts as you worship and eat together. They’re giving you a black eye—carousing shamelessly, grabbing anything that isn’t nailed down.” (Jude 1.12) It is difficult knowing will come when people do not live up to their best, even if the someone is you or me.
I know there are those who reel at the emphasis on the positive that comes with Singapore’s news. Life is, they say, never that good. Where are the hard cutting stories? Where is the truth?
Life reminds me that our lives are filled with individuals reflecting the best and worst of what we aspire to be. Everyone, starting me, makes mistakes. We make a mess of things. In this real world, Divinity lives within us, inviting us to be More than what we are. We can make a difference. We can be a positive force for good.
Our communities are filled with good and bad. We have to start somewhere. In starting with Hope I find myself looking to a future of possibilities. The view is awesome.
