That Name, and That Logo

What do they mean?

"Hope" is the thing with feathers  
That perches in the soul  
And sings the tune without the words  
And never stops at all. 
 
            --Emily Dickinson  

People often say that I am optimistic. But I reject that. What I am is hopeful

Optimism is a passive quality. The optimist expects that somehow everything will be just fine, regardless of whatever indications there may be to the contrary. Hopefulness, on the other hand, is the mindset of activism. Together with faith in the possibility of success, and charity towards our fellow human beings, hope motivates and inspires.

My vision for this publication is that it become a meeting place for hopeful advocates. I am the host, and I will regularly post about what’s happening and what I think we can do about it. But my “hope” is that others will post comments and guest essays, so that it’s far more than just me talking at you. It’s what can we do about it?

Each participant will be a feather of hope, never stopping at all.

The Logo has two roughly equal red-white-and-blue ribbons running parallel to each other along the outer edges. These represent the American citizenry, divided by a broad emptiness. In the middle of that void is a faint echo of themselves, a thin ribbon holding it all together.

The feather of hope is the quill pen, which represents our words, or more broadly communication. It bridges the space that divides us. The stylized quill is flame-like in shape, evoking the arts: music, painting, dance, poetry, sculpture, theater and the like. These too have potential to cross over and unite us.

(credit: quill pen image courtesy of Gordon Johnson)