A Case for Optimism in End Times

Yes, things are as bad as they seem. I don’t have to list examples. That cloud of anger, anxiety, despair you feel when you wake up is real and no, you aren’t the only one that feels that way. There are many people that wake up in the morning and worry if they’ll have health insurance next month, if their parents will be allowed to stay in the country, or if they’ll be safe at the next concert they attend. But despite everything, every leak, every tweet, every ill-informed talking head, there is a small seedling of optimism that continues to grow in spite of malnourishment.

The balance of power in the world is shifting.

Earlier this week, youth in the U.K. banded together and forced the pendulum of power to swing back in the opposite direction, a direction that left Theresa May in a state of embarrassment that had nothing to do with livestock (never forget Piggate). In April, May, confident in her position, called for a snap election in hopes of winning more Conservative seats in Parliament to lead the U.K. out of the European Union. The move, reminiscent of a Frank Underwood political maneuver, is an inherently risky move for any incumbent party, but back in April, May was polling favorably and assumed she had nothing to fear.

While Thursday night’s election didn’t result in an all out victory for Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party, the result is a hung parliament. Meaning that Theresa May’s Conservative party lost their majority in the House of Commons, resulting in a number of obstacles blocking her way to a smooth Brexit later this month. The main obstacle now is a call for her resignation, which is not unheard of when things go awry in Britain.

If May resigns there is potential for the U.K. to have a Prime Minister that stands up to orange fascists. A task that France accomplished last month when they voted in Emmanuel Macron, who handily defeated National Front Party candidate Marine Le Pen, whom with her Holocaust denial, (among a multitude of other atrocious views) would’ve been devastating to a world that has increasing trouble accepting facts.

So, if you’re a conservative, zealot, or racist, the old adage that bad news comes in threes may hold true. Thursday, former FBI Director James Comey testified in front the Senate Intelligence Committee that marked a major step forward in the deep investigation into Russia’s involvement in last year’s election. If the President is found to have obstructed justice in this matter, and is therefore guilty of High Crimes and Misdemeanors, then he could face impeachment.

Now, I realize the fact that we’re all hoping the President of the United States colluded with Russia because that’s a better reality than having him as President may be indicative of a nearing apocalypse, BUT there is reason to have hope. Maybe the dominoes have begun falling in the right direction. Maybe there is some Jedi-esque force willing the universe back into balance. Maybe there is a reason wake up in the morning and continue the fight.