Hope

So I go to the "Get Motivated" Seminar today at the Times Union Center with a group of colleagues. The big arena, lots of motivational speakers, heavy sales pitch for investment seminars and book deals sandwiched between musical interludes provided by former Santana vocalist Leon Thomas. Oh, and the MC for the day was an overly perky blond in a tight skirt complete with cheerleader-like screams. Steve Forbes was OK, but his talk was a rehash of his failed presidential platform. Tamara Lowe, the founder of the company that put on this elaborate charade, capped off the morning with a blend of psycho-babble about motivation, confessional about her dropout, drug addicted past, and, yes, a rap about how she had found Jesus Christ. It really set the tone for lunch.

There was one speaker, though, that managed to tie together a string of motivational quotes. Ironically, I can't remember his name. He quoted the psychologist Alfred Adler when he said:

Hope is the foundational quality of change.

I like this quote. It speaks a lot to the nature of a character I'm writing, a character who is filled with hope. But it's good for me, too, and those I know. Change will come, riding on the back of hope. I will be there to welcome it, for good or bad.