Many months ago, we proposed a revival for and resurrection of, if you will, the abandoned word “respair.” It is related to the often-used “despair” – which has gotten more than its fair share of use since the worldwide pandemic started. Respair is what they call an “obsolete” word, a word that is no longer in common use.
Here is why we proposed a resurrection of respair: as a noun, it means “the return of hope after a time without it.” As a verb, it means “to have hope again.” Wouldn’t you agree that both forms are ripe for reviving?
Let’s consider another word which is ready to be put back into regular use: “meliorism.” It is the belief that the world, or society, may be improved – and suffering may be alleviated – through rightly directed human effort. We know that people can respond to the events of life with optimism (hopefulness and confidence about the future) or pessimism (tending to see the worst aspect of things or believing that the worst will happen). Especially during this time of pandemic, let’s make the case that “meliorism” belongs beside side both of these. Isn’t it wonderfully hopeful to think that that the world can be improved by human effort, especially when it is touched by the grace of God?
Let us pray. “O God, by your grace, please allow for a rebirth of hope in our midst and empower us to play a part in its return. Bless us in such a way that we can live one day at a time. Grant us all we need to accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Through Christ your Son, who lives and reigns with you for ever and ever. Amen.”
