I watched the inauguration of America’s 47th President, Donald J. Trump, and felt moved, inspired, and hopeful. For too long, North Americans have been held hostage by the negative rhetoric of malicious leaders, intent on instilling fear and hopelessness in the people. Fueling this unwarranted fear has been a corrupt media—a wasteland of fiction presented as fact. But in reality, we are far from hopeless. So why do we often wallow in pits of despair, acting as though we have no control over our destiny?

The Roots of Hopelessness: Learned Helplessness

In the 1960s, American psychologists Steven F. Maier and Martin E. P. Seligman studied a phenomenon they termed learned helplessness. This occurs when people, bombarded by negative influences, come to believe they have no way to succeed. This mindset leads to depression and passivity, causing them to retreat from responsibility.

In a sense, fear of failure—or resignation to it—leads individuals to surrender their autonomy to tyrannical forces that perpetuate fear in order to gain power. This pattern turns many into modern-day Chicken Littles, sounding alarms about climate change and other supposedly inevitable calamities without hope of resolution. But why do we allow this cycle to persist?

Leadership Matters: Righteousness vs. Wickedness

Proverbs 29:2 offers a timeless insight: “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when the wicked rule, the people groan.” The groaning we hear today stems from wicked leadership and misplaced focus. The hopelessness many feel arises because we have taken our eyes off God, the ultimate source of hope.

Psalm 146:5 reminds us: “Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God.” This hope is not just abstract; it’s a foundation for renewed action and optimism.

Why This Inauguration Inspires Hope

As a Canadian, why did the inauguration of a new U.S. president inspire such hope in me? Because the ceremony included repeated commitments to turn America back to God. This influence alone has the power to ripple beyond the U.S., challenging the wicked in Canada to cower and encouraging the righteous to stand up and make their voices heard.

For too long, many of us have remained silent, trapped in our own learned helplessness. But as history shows, the silence of the righteous is no better than the lies of the wicked. Evil flourishes when good people say and do nothing.

The Cure: Learned Optimism and Living Hope

Martin Seligman’s research points to learned optimism as the antidote to learned helplessness. Renewed hopefulness enables people to take action and reclaim their agency. This aligns beautifully with the message of Scripture.

As the Apostle Peter wrote: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”

Our hope lies in God, the Creator who made us in His image. He entrusted us with the responsibility and power to be stewards of creation, bringing order out of chaos. He commissioned us to recruit others to love Him and one another, promising to be with us as we go forward with that hope-filled mission.

Will We Fulfill the Calling?

The question remains: will we rise to fulfill this calling? Will we abandon despair and embrace living hope? With God’s guidance, we have the power to step out of fear and into faith, bringing light to a world darkened by negativity. Let us go forth boldly, assured that our hope is secure in Him.