Muscular Hope

“With love, and a muscular hope.”

Wow. These were Krista Tippett’s parting words on her most recent substack, The Pause. I find her to be invariably wise, insightful, and articulate. Her latest post, The News That Is ‘Breaking’ Is Never Seeing Things Whole, is thought-provoking reading.

Since reading Krista’s sign-off, I have pondered the question: What would it take to embody “muscular hope?” These are my random musings without a clear answer, so bear with me.

I thought about what it takes to be “muscular,” in the physical sense. I know strong muscles need regular exercise that pushes the body beyond its comfort level. Muscles need to work harder than before to get stronger. Overall physical fitness requires focusing on different muscle groups at different times. And muscles need time to rest and recover. When pushed beyond their limits, they weaken and cause bodily fatigue.

I then wondered, how does muscular fitness apply to the emotion of hope? As others wiser than me have pointed out, feeling hopeful is essential to taking action. (I’m talking to you, Parker Palmer and Vince Lewis!) Without hope, there is no reason to act. But I’ve come to realize that the reverse is also true. Without meaningful, hard-fought action, hope will wither and die.

For hope to become muscular, it will require regular, robust action to the point of discomfort. Muscular hope pushes us to step into the fray and voice strong opposition to the harm being done to others, even when we’re not directly impacted. It needs us to stay focused on what is most important at the moment, without being distracted by the onslaught of news “designed to trip the fear centers of our brains.”¹

Also, we need to take time to pause when it all becomes too much. Our emotional and mental health needs a break from the chaos at times, as long as we don’t make inaction a permanent state. Comfort can be a dangerous feeling to hang onto while so much is at stake.

I have to admit, the past ten days have shut me down to the point of wanting to burrow my head under a blanket for the next four years and ignore it all. There's been a lot of deliberate pain and suffering inflicted on law-abiding people since DJT took office a week ago, and those in the majority in Congress are falling in line to avoid 47’s fury and inevitable retribution. I fear what further steps are part of DJT’s “concept of a plan,” Project 2025, intended to destroy the endangered and increasingly fragile state of our democracy. It’s exhausting. It can be debilitating if we choose comfort over conscience.

But ignoring the insanity and doing nothing is where hope goes to die. It’s high time for me to embrace muscular hope, to take uncomfortable actions that re-ignite hope within, even when my words fall on deaf ears and my actions are in vain. Organizing with like-minded individuals to take action together and speak loudly with one voice can help to strengthen our collective muscle. We need each other more than ever in tumultuous times.

John Lewis with Martin Luther King, Jr. as they begin the Selma to Montgomery march on March 21, 1965.

When I think of leaders who embodied muscular hope, John Lewis, the iconic civil rights giant, comes to mind. He is famously known for saying, “Speak up, speak out, get in the way. Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and help redeem the soul of America.”

John Lewis also reminded us to restore our emotional well-being when needed without giving up the long fight: "I prefer a pilot light — the flame is nothing flashy, but once it is lit, it doesn't go out. It burns steadily, and it burns forever.”

I also think of Heather Sievers, an amazing young woman who formed a coalition of over 5,000 Iowans last year to advocate for Iowa’s children. Their focus has been, and continues to be, strengthening Iowa’s public schools and saving Area Education Agencies that provide essential services for students with special needs. After months of advocacy, Heather decided to run for a seat in the Iowa House. She ran a tireless campaign, losing by a heartbreaking 26 votes. Yet she continues to fight the good fight and expand the coalition of advocates for a strong education system in Iowa. Heather has muscular hope in spades.

Heather Sievers with a strong coalition of her supporters in July, 2024.

So here’s to developing muscular hope, to fighting the good fight, and to getting in good trouble.

1. Krista Tippett, The News That Is ‘Breaking’ Is Never Seeing Things Whole (The Pause, January 25, 2025)