ridiculous hopefulness

Today I was struck with a fit of outlandish hopefulness. I spent my morning indexing an accreditation report for my school (a job I have, helping prepare for an upcoming accreditation review by the Western Association of Schools & Colleges and by the Association of Theological Schools). The report is quite honest about flaws in curriculum and administration, but the vision of the school and the curriculum is inspiring. It will take time to get where it wants to be, but it's the sort of institution I want to be a part of (despite my struggles and my criticisms of the place). It takes religion and spirituality very seriously but also situates it within the larger context of waning religious involvement in the US and waning theological education for many of those in evangelical Christian ministry (one of growing parts of religion in the US and world).

Then, I happened to be listening to music with the newest version of iTunes, which contains a simultaneously great and annoying little widget called Genius, which suggests songs and playlists similar to whatever song I might be listening to. Out of idle curiosity, I checked out the "countdown" to John Legend's next album, Evolver. I listened to "If You're Out There," and I almost started crying. It's a call to...something, to leadership, to peace, to change. I would call it a minor religious experience, because it got me in touch with a profound, unfounded hopefulness that I've been feeling lately, with Prop 8, with the election, with the life I am building with my partner. It reminds me of what I can do, even if it's minor, to change my world. Yes, there's echoes of Obamamania in the song, and yes I am jaded/cautious to put hope in what a mainstream Democratic candidate can actually accomplish. But I am also joyously hopeful about the opportunity to see someone different in the white house -- someone who is fundamentally different from what came before (despite the fact that he's a mainstream main-party candidate) by his visible existence. I hope "If You're Out There" is a soundtrack anthem for the next decade or so. And "Greenlight (Afroganic Mix) is also a great song off the upcoming album.