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8.0.4 Natural, Rational HopeVersion 1.2 August 2014                              (Previous Version) Is it reasonable to be hopeful, in the light of contemporary recalcitrance, incorrigible leaders, and the apparent disasters unfolding around us? Aren’t we getting more violent? We acknowledge the uncertainty of any expectations of the future, but we see evidence of long term progress in issues such as prosperity, equality and human rights, despite all the backward steps we take. We see that there are realistic strategies that enable us to address the “evil” we see. This is an optimistic, life and love affirming view of history, based on the evidence, the truth. 8.0.4 Natural, Rational Hope This Reasonable Global Way provides us with hope, because: ●       Human nature has its positive as well as negative aspects: we feel compassion and cooperate as well as compete to win. Circumstances affect our reactions. ●       The core values of this way are consistent with our enlightened self interest and consistent with the underlying human nature of all of us who are not psychopaths. ●       Our analysis of history shows evidence of progress, in science and technology, economic prosperity, social equality and human rights. ●       This way removes arbitrary or unknowable supernatural outcomes. In life or death, we're not subject to god’s wrath, vengeance, punishment or unfathomable grace. ●       Many major conflicts that arise because of an apparent conflict of core values are actually due to ignorance and to acceptance of false beliefs that lead to unreasonable derived and effecting values, and we can address false beliefs. ●       Improved communications enable knowledge to be spread more widely. We acknowledge that they also allow false beliefs to be widely spread too, but countering that is more widespread education and global interaction. ●       This way can be shared with others, openly, without coercion, without being unrealistic or causing internal conflict. A vision shared gives us hope. ●       This way allows us to justify our actions to ourselves on all the global, national and personal issues we face, giving us the confidence to act, that we have done our due diligence to support our action. ●       We can also present this way, the beliefs on which it is based and the values we have adopted, to justify our actions to others, in hope that they might agree. ●       Knowing the long term outcomes could be good, means we can validly hope our struggle is worth the effort. Knowing that gives us the courage, an effecting value, to act according to our values and beliefs when there is a risk to our selves. more Most of these points are covered in Parts 1 to 7. In this Part they are simply brought together to explain the reasonable basis for hope. Hope is a core value because we choose to act in hope rather than to be passive and live in despair. Many look at history and see continuing violence and oppression, and say there are no signs of progress. But there are! It is worth emphasising here that there are many trends that lead us to hope, because they are so central to our vision of a Reasonable Global Way.Â
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