Krista Tippett: So crack open the first blank page of your journal about the muscle of hope: What is the notion of hope that is part of the way you think and feel? What does hope mean where you come from, your home, your childhood, your people?

Or, here’s another way in to ground that investigation: What is hope? Answer the question through the story of life.

If memories come up when you’re hearing this teaching or those to come, as you ponder these questions, take those seriously. Write them down. Memories actually live in our bodies, not just in our minds. They are not mere thoughts; they help connect up our bodies and minds and ground us and make us more whole. And probably in the course of this deliberation, you might consider whether some of the experiences you’ve had across your life — being who you are, in your life, in your body — complicate the notion of hope.

So let all of that surface as you ponder the invitation Bryan Stevenson makes about how to begin here. His counsel is, “get proximate.”

What is that going to mean in your life?

It’s not setting an action plan, it’s not at this outset knowing the steps you will take. It is right now about being in discernment, holding curiosity. The only action to take right now is pondering where you will direct your curiosity, your care. Where have you not been paying attention that may be calling to you now? Live that question, journal about it, let it flow into the way you take in the rest of this chapter into your daily life.

Consider these thoughts of Bryan Stevenson: “Hope is our superpower. Hope is the thing that gets you to stand up, when others say, ‘Sit down.’ It’s the thing that gets you to speak, when others say, ‘Be quiet.’”

And this: “You should not underestimate the power you have to affirm the humanity and dignity of the people who are around you. And when you do that, they will teach you something about what you need to learn about human dignity, but also what you can do to be a change agent.”