impermanence – Record of Hope

A tentative definition of hope as a feeling for what is worth living for (discernment) and the determination to live it (committed choice), as distinct from optimism, which is defined as an uncritical faith in the future

Join the Thursday Circle Online Telegram Channel Thursday Circles are inspired by Dietrich Bonhoeffer's early concern with the need to promote critical thinking. In this current format, it is an initiative of Dick Delingpole with the support of Jamie Franklin, of the Irreverend podcast, inspired by Bonhoeffer's opposition to the Nazi regime. The aim of this online group is to create an opportunity for those who would wish to participate in Thursday Circles but can’t for geographical or other reasons. The manifesto and focus remain the same as for the face-to-face gatherings. It is my hope and wish to generate interest so that others will be encouraged to create circles of their own in their communities. Meetings take place on the fourth Thursday of each month at 8:30pm CET. Take a look at the TC manifesto here.

Records of Hope

Our first Record of Hope, Calais At The Crossroads (2018), is the culmination of months of discussion and writing on the experiences of one volunteer-activist in the Jungle refugee camp in Calais, Northern France. It combines the raw account itself with an introductory essay on activism, useful links for further action and inquiry, poetry and artwork. Its purpose is to motivate those who feel the need to take action, but are unsure about the first step and how to take it.

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Essays on Hope

Six Conditions of Hope: a talk by David Gee (9 Apr 2020)

1744 words

David Gee’s inquiry into hope started from a conversation with an activist friend who was experiencing burnout, and led to an inquiry into what it is about hope that makes work possible, and what about its absence, hopelessness, makes work impossible. David’s investigation has taken him around the UK interviewing frontline workers, and the results of his research are to be published as a book. The following is a write-up of notes taken during the talk, complemented with additional input from me with links for further reading.

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Thinking About Hope, and the question of transmission (2020)

2570 words

A critical response to the teachings around hope in the Buddhist canon. References to Pema Chödron, Christopher Titmuss, Thanissaro Bikku, Dante, Dickinson, kotodama, personal experience and gang violence in Los Angeles and London.

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