On Hope
It took me a little while to figure out what I liked so much about this commercial from All State. And, truthfully, I didn’t just like it, I found it peculiarly moving. I’ll put it below for you to watch and then have a bit to say about it below.
What’s moving, I think, is the sense of defiant hope the commercial expresses. Yes, it acknowledges, lots of bad things happen. But there are still good things. And maybe more good than bad. And maybe, just maybe, it goes on to suggest, there’s way more chance of there being more good than bad if we don’t let the threat of the bad deter us from living life and seeking and creating good.
All of this is made more poignant because it’s spoken by a child, a child whose voice testifies both to the fragility of this life we share and also to the fact that, by speaking those words, that fragile voice becomes brave, strong, and courageous.
Hope, I believe, is like that. It is both fragile and powerful, fragile because it exists against all odds and in the face of much that seems hopeless; powerful because it creates new possibilities and in being shared, multiplies.
All of this puts me in mind of a quotation often attributed to either Martin Luther or St. Francis: “If the world were going to end tomorrow, I would plant a tree today.” I’ve always loved that affirmation because it reminds us that what we see is not all there is, and that no matter what may come, yet God will have the last word, and it will be a good word. The promise of God to bring all things to a good end invites us to live today, even in the most difficult of circumstances, with hope.
Not optimism, note, but hope. For while optimism assumes things will soon get better, hope testifies that whether things get better or worse yet ultimately God’s good will for us and all creation will prevail. And rooted in that promise, we can take action today, standing with the good, opposing evil, and doing what we can, not because we expect or need to save the world, but rather because we believe that since God will save the world we are free to throw ourselves into taking care of the little corner of the world in which we find ourselves.
Hope that is fragile, brave, and invites us to action. I think that’s why I like – and am moved by – this commercial. And I hope you are, too. So go ahead, watch it again. I’ll make it easy by putting it below once more. ☺
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I liked the thoughts and would have enjoyed a lot until
The Allstate ad part. I don’t like commercials capitalizing
On personal feels. Someone may have just lost a loved one
Through doing one of these things. It emphasis for me that
Allstate makes a lot of money every year off out fear that one
Of those bad things is going to happen to us. And, it may.
Being alive is dangerous and we should put our faith in God
That the best will usually happen to us. I do carry insurance
So I can be responsible to others and myself.
CV
David, I’ve not seen this commercial before; maybe it’s not on the East Coast yet… so I may need to let it grow on me a little before I fully appreciate it. I certainly do like the contrasts posed, but the one thing that caught me up the most was her last words, “making our lives…. good.” I’m not sure we can make our lives “good.” We can “seek” good. On the other hand, I guess whenever we live out the Gospel, even in our imperfect brokenness, we are creating good. Just some first thoughts.
I knew going in that this was a commercial, so the emotional “tug” was initially for me just a marketing technique. And yet, that said, we live in such fear mongering times this message of hope, even in the form of a sales pitch, was welcome and I was free to extrapolate it into a larger meaning for myself.
Thank you, David. I like commercials that show us a bigger picture than just why we should buy their product. And I like your thoughts on this one, especially the idea of just taking care of my little corner of the world.
Hi David. This post was helpful, well hopeful! Last week I went with my pastor to give home communion to a pair of shut-ins in the same assisted living home. One of them was happy to see us, excited about the weather, and just feeling pretty good. The other was quite different. He was just sad. Bored. No hope, no reason to get out of bed in the morning. My question is, what do you say to people who seem to have no hope? He desired the sacrament, which may point to a small glimmer of hope left, but that was it. What can you do with a person like that? We want to be the Christ walking through life with people, but what if they can’t see Him?
Hey David – awesome post and wow, what a commercial!
I was just thinking about how hope is so deeply rooted in our human psyche. Have you seen any of the Matrix movies? There is a big brawl between Neo and Mr. Smith where Neo (or Mr. Anderson as he is known) has been beaten down by Mr. Smith. Yet, Neo shakes it off and rises to his feet. Mr. Smith is aghast and says, “Why, Mr. Anderson? Why?’ and Neo responds, “Because I choose to.”
Hope is a choice as much as it is a gift.