THE NEW ABNORMAL

Uncertainty Looms as Trump’s Inauguration Day Approaches

Stanford professor Jamil Zaki, author of “Hope for Cynics,” joins The New Abnormal to discuss hope and the weaponization of hopelessness.

Opinion

Listen to this full episode of The New Abnormal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon and Stitcher (update links).

Uncertainty looms as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to ascend to the highest office in the land for a second time, but many Americans are still processing the results of Election Day, explained The New Abnormal co-host Danielle Moodie.

“What happened on election night for days I didn’t cry,” said Moodie. “I wasn’t filled with rage. I wasn’t filled with a sense of grief. I was utterly and completely numb.”

That feeling can be described as “hopelessness,” explained Stanford professor Jamil Zaki, author of Hope for Cynics: The Surprising Science of Human Goodness. He added, “And I think that that’s a completely understandable response and one that we should have compassion for if that’s what we’re feeling.”

In the aftermath of the election, Zaki said he found himself thinking about the differences between optimism and hope, and why it would serve Americans well to understand the nuances of both.

“Optimism is the belief that the future will turn out well. And generally when people are optimistic, they can be happier, but they can also get pretty complacent if a bright future is on its way,” said Zaki, adding, “You could just sit on your couch and await its arrival.”

Hope is the acceptance of uncertainty and how society’s push forward, said Zaki.

“I’m not saying that we should be hopeful because everything is fantastic. I’m saying that we should remain hopeful because that’s how we continue,” he said.

Listen to this full episode of The New Abnormal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon and Stitcher (update links).

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