I'm pessimistic about the potential for institutional reforms that reconcile social factions.
But that means I am often pleasantly surprised.
I still place no hope in such reforms, and have no romantic notions that we can expect institutions to be well reformed.
And I place no hope in individual or communal action leading to good change.
I'm just pessimistic about OUTCOMES.
But that does not paralyze me, and does not lead me to apathy.
Rather, my aspiration is to simply be the good I want to see in the world, with no regard for results (though careful to do no harm.)
It is all and it is only picking up starfish off the beach one at a time and throwing them back into the ocean for the sake of that one, and the joy of the creator of the starfish and me flowing through us.
Today a jury may have done something that responds appropriately to grief. But there remains reason to grieve.
Many people hope that the world is moving toward justice. I'm pessimistic.
Other people fear that the world is moving toward some evil thing. I'm not fearful.
I just don't expect much to ever change. And I especially don't think that changes to social structures, laws, or who wins elections matters at all.
And I don't think that if enough people just decide to do the right thing, things will get better.
But I don't care. I aspire to do the right thing for it's own sake and to participate with God in the ongoing creative work in the world.
I don't have any other goal. I don't have an opinion about "end times" or an imagined utopia. I think such ideas do more harm than good.
And the result of today's verdict should not be treated as evidence that the world is becoming a better place or a worse place.