Local opinion: One day, we can build a more hopeful world

One day, I will not fear what I read when I open the newspaper each morning or turn on the news. I will be living in the world that every religion preaches they want, that each political party can rally behind and that every reasonable man or woman desires for their loved ones.

One day, there is generosity enough in the hearts of the millionaires to feed those struggling to pay their bills, feed the hungry, fund childcare and preschools. They will open their checkbooks as they share their profitable investments with workers and become known as our heroes.

One day, as Jane Goodall taught us, we will realize that our world is big enough for all species, and we will prioritize them. Because we protect their habitat, they will still exist and flourish for our future generations to enjoy and share.

One day, science will be trusted again, vaccinating us against the most dreaded diseases, guiding both our elders and our children to live longer lives.

One day, we as a planet of rational people will no longer send off our young to fight a war using weapons from the last century. Instead, we will sit down at a table to use our words to find a solution using reasoning and logic.

One day, women will be listened to and believed in equal measure as men. They’ll walk as confidently and safely down a street. Raise a hand in class. Speak up in a boardroom. Sit in the governmental seats of power in equal numbers and power.

One day, we will breathe clean air, drink fresh water that is ample and flows freely because we did what we could to stop the climate from rapidly changing.

One day, I won’t look away at street corners because the unhoused have resources to help them heal, a place to stay, and time to find their way back into society.

One day, prisoners will have a path back from the pain and the reason they strayed in the first place. They’ll have a true chance to rehabilitate rather than resort to the only path they can see ahead.

One day, I believe the argument about guns will no longer matter. We don’t need them. We don’t use them anymore.

One day, a quality education is free and equal for all, not just those in areas of the country or the world, or those who can afford it.

One day, women only become parents when they are ready and willing to bear life. They’ll have true and equal support from the man who fully participated, and support of the village in raising the child.

One day, parents will be given an instruction manual upon the birth of their first child. And maybe the second and third. They have a support system to check in with when things get hard.

One day, borders and walls will all but disappear, no longer needed. Seen from space, it is all just one planet.

One day, we will harness the power of the sun. Energy is in great supply, affordable, and is no longer torn from the earth beneath us, nor the cause for war.

One day, the leaders of nations will be chosen because they place the good of their nation above their own ego above all else.

One day, immigrants will be welcomed. We thank them as we sit at the dinner tables that bring tastes and foods from every land. We know the names of treats and spices hidden from us now but in great supply in the future.

One day, I welcome the fact that indigenous peoples across the globe regain a part of what was once theirs, are allowed to control and travel freely on their own lands, are given back their artifacts, speak their original languages, and live in their own way.

And finally, one day, I see that all religions unify to preach what is good rather than the evils of this world. When the goals are the same, what matters is only the way of achieving them.