Viva la Vida

December 24, 2016

I thought I had better conclude yesterday’s somewhat dark with a reference to the value of hope, one of the three theological virtues. To despair, however tempting, is to son and sin most grievously. Another related sin in the Catholic tradition is the sin of presumption, which is a rejection of grace, something I referenced a few days ago. Ive chosen to illustrate this post with a painting bu the artist Frida Kahlo, who was crippled by a road accident, suffered a miscarriage and an abortion, but in her final painting we see inscribed Viva la Vida, or Long live life. Faith and Charity complement Hope and are considered a something bestowed by grace, rather that something achieved by effort or purpose. What I take from that is that hope is innate to the human condition. In the darkest times despair is a surrender, hope is life enhancing. Hope is also perilous, Frost sees it as “Betwixt and between, the orchard bare, And the orchard green”. Hope is the ability to see through current suffering to a future unknown, perceived “as through a glass darkly”, but a future in which there is the possibility for something other than despair.

So hope is a revolutionary act, a means to assert the right to create meaning in our lives, to believe that that is something, someway, to a better future. I can think of no better Christmas message; whatever happens maintain hope that we can transcend despair.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts

About the Cynefin Company

The Cynefin Company (formerly known as Cognitive Edge) was founded in 2005 by Dave Snowden. We believe in praxis and focus on building methods, tools and capability that apply the wisdom from Complex Adaptive Systems theory and other scientific disciplines in social systems. We are the world leader in developing management approaches (in society, government and industry) that empower organisations to absorb uncertainty, detect weak signals to enable sense-making in complex systems, act on the rich data, create resilience and, ultimately, thrive in a complex world.
ABOUT USSUBSCRIBE TO NEWSLETTER

Cognitive Edge Ltd. & Cognitive Edge Pte. trading as The Cynefin Company and The Cynefin Centre.

© COPYRIGHT 2024

< Prev

Dum Spiro, spero

Attempts to see a performance of the Seven Acts of Mercy at the RSC were ...

More posts

Next >

1: when there were wolves in Wales

In various social media conversations about a possible subject for my Twelve days of Christmas ...

More posts

linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram