對奧巴馬國情咨文演講的思考

　　1月19日BBC聽力：對奧巴馬國情咨文演講的思慮

　　In the early hours of yesterday morning, PresidentObama gave his last State of the Union address.

　　It's always a difficult speech, with time running outto propose a legislative agenda... Instead, as wellas delivering a robust defence of his legacy, hereturned to the language of his presidential campaign, with a speech focused around hope.

　　Political rhetoric often swings between two poles, two defining elements of human experience:hope and fear.

　　Sadly, fear is the one that usually comes more easily, both in life and politics. And so despitethe President’s efforts, the current political landscape in the U.S. is evolving into acompetition to see who can paint the most apocalyptic vision of the future.

　　Neither side is immune from using the politics of fear, painting a picture of horrors to come -that only they are qualified to deliver the nation from.

　　Conservative New York Times columnist David Brooks recently raised serious concerns aboutthis trend, calling on the Republican presidential candidates to back off from what he calls a“fear-driven brutalism” and adopt a more hopeful approach.

　　The trouble is, hope is hard, and not just politically. It feels naive and dangerous. Many peoplelistening to the President will feel sceptical. I certainly did. Surely all this ‘Hopey changey” stuffjust leaves us open to disappointment and mockery. In the ancient biblical book of Proverbs,it says "hope deferred makes the heart sick". The hard-headed, grown up thing to do oftenseems to involve taking Camus' advice to "think clearly and not hope any more".

　　I spend quite a lot of time thinking about what Christians might be able to offer a society, inwhich a significant number will longer calls itself Christian. What we could give, as those who feelwe've been given much. And maybe it's partly this: acting as cheerleaders for the gritty work ofhope. Pulitzer Prize winning novelist Marilynne Robinson has written repeatedly on this. Shemakes two points: “first, contemporary America (and I would argue the UK too) is full of fear.And second, fear is not a Christian habit of mind”.

　　Christians believe a hopeful habit of mind is worth cultivating. Not because hope is easy, or thatthere is nothing to be afraid of, but because there is something to hope in. And because, asbehavioural psychologists would agree, our habits of mind become habits in our lives, andhabits affect outcomes.

　　Choosing to hope draws us out beyond ourselves, while fear drives us inward. Hope gives uscourage to face the very real pain and horror of the world, and not to cower in fear, but to setabout doing what we can to make a dent in it.

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