ISBC 6 - Hope is Not the Opposite of Despair
Chapter 6 of Hope: A User's Manual
In a number of Marvel films, T’Challa rallies his Wakandan troops with the cry of “Yibambe!” which is a Xhosa word meaning “be strong” or “hold fast.” I love that, at pivotal moments of battle, the war cry isn’t “Charge!” or “Take no prisoners!” or “Show no mercy!” or some other swaggering Rambo-inflected line. It is simply, Be strong. Hold the line. Stand with courage.1
On August 28, 2020, I received news that I was not expecting at all. I saw a news story show up on social media that the actor Chadwick Boseman had died. At that point, he was best known for his amazing portrayal of the Marvel superhero T’Challa in the first Black Panther movie. He died at 43 years old following a very private fight against colon cancer. In the weeks that followed, it was shared that very few people at all knew that he was fighting this cancer. Even while undergoing treatments and surgeries, he continued to film movies and continued his advocacy for voting rights and fundraising for children’s charities.
As I read MaryAnn’s words in this chapter, I wondered what was going on in Boseman’s heart and mind as he held both this very serious diagnosis and also his outward work on his films and passionate activism and charity. Feels very much like holding both Hope and Despair at the same time. I wonder what he thought as he was on set for Black Panther shouting Yibambe! Was that just a word in a script or was it something he was saying for himself? To be strong and to hold fast. Yibambe!
I remember when I was first starting my journey with photography in 2014 and came to Psalm 3 where the Psalmist writes about how many foes surround him and how he cries to the Lord and feels strength in the knowledge that God holds him fast. The Psalm ends with a simple statement, “Deliverance belongs to the Lord; may your blessing be on your people.” I asked my son to create a lego scene depicting this Psalm and suggested maybe he use superheroes. So this image is what he created. Thor in the center of all the baddies but not despairing even though he’s surrounded. Instead Thor is holding up his hammer defiantly. I am not sure what it would be in Norse, but if he was speaking Wakandan, he might have been shouting, “Yibambe!”
What helps you hold hope even when despair and sorrow are present as well?
Grace, Peace, Love, and Joy,
Ed
McKibben Dana, MaryAnn. Hope: A User's Manual (pp. 39-40). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.. Kindle Edition.
I think little moments help me hold hope. If I am dreading or worrying about future events or possibilities, I miss the little blessings of the now. I miss the silver linings.