The Persistence of Hope

Hanging on to Hope

JULY, 2026

Last summer, I published a special mid-summer blog in July, 2025. I have decided to once again publish a special blog. My reasons remain the same…”Given the current political environment and economic conditions both in the Nation and Worldwide, I decided to publish a special Blog update before my normal quarterly blog updates. Now more than ever, we need to be reminded that Hope in the future is not just a meaningless concept, thought, and feeling, but it needs to be an integral and active part of our daily activities.” 

Our current environment and economic conditions have not changed significantly from a year ago.  In many ways they may have gotten worse. We need Hope, combined with Action, now more than ever.  

There is so much history that we can tape into…so much experience and knowledge that we can tape in to that we can use to guide our lives. Let us use that experience and knowledge to carry our lives forward into a new and brighter tomorrow!

Thank you so much for being a part of this journey with me! Let us work together for a brighter tomorrow!

Words of Wisdom

“The beauty of life is that we have options and choices. We can live as a victim of circumstances or we can accept reality and take action to do something constructive with it. I have many gifts that I need to focus on rather than focusing on what I don’t have.” Jerry White (2008). I Will Not Be Broken: 5 Steps to Overcoming A Life Crisis. St. Marten’s Press, New York, NY, page 41.

“One of the most important distinctions I have learned in the course of reflection on Jewish history is the difference between optimism and hope. Optimism is the belief that things will get better. Hope is the belief that, together, we can make things better. Optimism is a passive virtue; hope an active one.” Rabbi Jonathan Sacks (2004). Celebrating Life. As quoted in: The Persistence of Hope | JewishAkron

“Sometimes the most powerful stories of faith are not the ones that take place in church buildings, but in city squares, on our streets, or at kitchen tables where people decide that giving up is not an option” The Persistence of Hope – Ruth Greenaway-Robbins

Both of these concepts, Hope and Persistence, have had a long and inspiring history.

In American history, hope has been passed down through generations of immigrants and settlers, and others who came to America seeking a better life, building on the resilience of their ancestors.

In Europe, as enumerated by Todd Polikoff, CEO of The Jewish Board of Akron, in: The Persistence of Hope | JewishAkron

“There are several examples of the persistence of hope in Jewish and world history.  The U.S. Army’s 45th Infantry Division’s liberation of the Dachau concentration camp on April 29, 1945, provides one example. Days after the American forces entered Dachau,  U.S. Army Chaplains held a prayer service. The remaining camp survivors huddled in the courtyard; cold, stunned, and barely able to stand. They prayed, cried, and they uttered the words, “Our hope is not yet lost” as they sang HaTikvah – The Hope. Despite all of the horrors, cruelty, and grief that Dachau contained, hope not only survived; it filled space where once only held pain and desperation. Hope is what drove the Jewish people to rise from the ashes of the Holocaust. We did not wait to see what the future would bring; we created a new lot for ourselves.

Today, in 2020, we have endured significant pain, observed the dismantling of norms, and experienced illness and death on a scale not seen in over a century. It has been a dark, sobering reminder of the fragility of our societal structures and human life. But it will not last forever, and when the pandemic subsides, we will build a brighter future.  I have confidence because, like in Dachau, hope persists in even the most desperate of environments. But hope cannot thrive on its own; it requiqres that we not only believe things will get better but that we work to make sure it does.” Todd Polikoff The Persistence of Hope | JewishAkron

Note: I appreciate what Todd Polikoff expresses in the quote above that Hope requires…not only Belief, but also ACTION (i,e works). Both are essential!

If there is one thing that is essential in our lives it is Hope.  And if Hope continues to persist, it will provide a light within you which will be reflected to everything and to every person around you.

There are several blogs on the Internet highlighting the subject “The Persistence of Hope”.  A few of these are listed below and can be accessed through the links provided:

The Persistence of Hope – Ruth Greenaway-Robbins – A Sermon

Roger Eno: The Persistence of Hope – Qobuz Magazine

The Persistence of Hope | https://www.universityucc.org

The Persistence of Hope | Dr. Gerald Stein

The Persistence of Hope: A True Story – Albert Alcalay – Google Books – Check your local library for a copy

Update for July, 2026

I have updated only one website page this month. The only page I will be updating this month is the Punchlines Page. 

Punchlines

Questions Are the Answer

The Punchlines page now includes a new section entitled “Questions are the Answer”. I introduced this section in the Spring 2026 Blog posting and I have made it an on-going part of the Punchlines page in the future.  It will highlight specific questions from individuals who I feel are asking “better questions” which will permit all of us to arrive at “better answers”.  Too often we mentally ask ourselves dis-empowering questions like “Why me?  Why does this always happen to me?  Why do I always procrastinate? Why am I so __________(stupid, lazy, ignorant, …. fill in the blank with whatever fits your circumstance).  If we start asking ourselves better questions we can generate better answers and move our lives in the direction of a more productive and meaningful life.

 Check the Punchlines page for specific questions you might consider asking yourself.

The Many Faces and Voices of Hope” is a section that has replaced the “Hope Matters” Section on the webpage.   As previously stated, in this section, I intend to capture the thoughts, words, feelings, and emotions of individuals and their acquaintances who have acknowledged hope and also dealt with depression and despair in whatever form that may take.

Hope, Persistence, Love, and Perseverance are on full display in the following profile of Jerry White.

I continue to be excited about the possibilities for the future of this section and would encourage our readers to submit examples of individuals for inclusion in this section.  Your comments and input are essential to our future growth and outreach. 

JERRY WHITE

Symbol of Persistence, Perseverance & Hope

I was introduced to Jerry White initially through a book he wrote in 2008. The title of the book is I Will Not Be Broken: 5 Steps to Overcoming a Life Crisis. (2008) St. Martin’s Press, New York, NY.  I found it to be both life-challenging and instructive.

I have often wondered how so many people that we have never personally met or known except through books, articles, and videos can inspire us and lift us up to become better individuals and provide us guidance in reaching our potential. Jerry White is just such an individual.

Over the past several decades, Jerry White has undergone an incredible life journey which has included stepping on a buried land mine in Israel in 1984, losing part of a leg from that encounter, and spending several years in recovery.

The book which Jerry wrote highlights the pain and struggles he went through as well as providing guidance for each of us on how to emerge from crises affecting our lives and that of our family, friends, and individuals we have never met. His life story is a testament to our ability to recover and thrive in life regardless of our circumstances.

Jerry provides his readers with a 5-Step approach we could all follow. Th- ese steps include:

Step 1 – Face Facts – Accept the harsh reality of your circumstances

Step 2 – Choose Life – Seize Life – Do not surrender to death or stagnation

Step 3 – Reach Out – To peers, friends, family, and other people

Step 4 – Get Moving – and take responsibility for actions and life

Step 5 – Give Back – Through service and acts of kindness

Here are just a few of Jerry’s accomplishments:

• Cofounder of Landmine Survivors Network which later became Survivor Corps
• Co-recipient of the 1997 Nobel Prize for Peace through his work with the International Campaign to Ban Landmines
• Provided leadership which helped secure the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty
• Served on the board of directors of the Amputee Coalition of America
• Author and accomplished speaker

Additional info about Jerry’s story and amazing subsequent life after his encounter with  a landmine in Israel. can be found on the Punchlines page of our website.