Ep 176: Where can we find hope in a Coronavirus world?
What does the future hold? The Coronavirus pandemic and lockdowns have flattened our hopes for the future. Are there reasons to be optimistic about the future? We speak with a futurist and the author of a book on a pessimism in the search for hope.
Our guests: Dr. Natasha Moore. Natasha is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Public Christianity. She is a speaker, writer and author of several books, including the 2020 Australian Christian book of the year For the love of God and also the recently released The pleasures of pessimism.
Dr. Keith Suter. Keith is one of Australia's most influential Global futurists and media commentators in national and foreign affairs. He’s achieved three doctorates, written numerous books and is also a member of the prestigious Club of Rome - an organisation concerned for the future of humanity and the planet.
Dr. Keith Suter (media commentator and futurist).
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Bigger Questions asked in the conversation
Natasha, congratulations on winning Christian book of the year, were you surprised when your book won?
Keith, you’re a member of the Club of Rome - that sounds like a covert Illuminati style group, what exactly is the Club of Rome?
The current environment
Keith you’re known as a Futurist. What fascinates you about peering into the future?
I don’t think you need to be a particularly qualified futurist to realise that our world and the future of humanity is faced with substantial challenges at present. Coronavirus is obviously the most pressing threat. What are the specific global challenges of coronavirus in the world?
Natasha - as the author of a book, ‘The Pleasures of Pessimism’, you must be loving the pessimism of this current season?
Coronavirus: where is hope?
The whole Cornoavirus has really rocked people’s hopes for the future. When Melbourne entered lockdown for a second time with rising Coronavirus cases. Melbourne author Jill Stark tweeted:
Anyone else feeling absolutely flattened by today? Are there reasons to be hopeful that my brain can’t see right now?
Is the loss of hope a reasonable response to bad news of the pandemic?
There are all sorts of hopes in the present Coronavirus season. Hopes built around correct lockdown strategies, hopes for a vaccine and hopes to rebuild the economy. Keith - how reasonable are these hopes to combat the threat of Covid?
Bible: Christian hope
The Christian message claims to bring hope. Indeed the book of 1 Peter 1:3 says,
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
Natasha - you work with the Centre of Public Christianity - so what is this living hope?
But Christian hope isn’t going to create the economic environment for human prosperity? Or provide a vaccine for Covid? So how is it useful against these global pressures?
So now - recalling Jill Stark’s tweet - when faced with bad news about Covid and lockdowns and she says, Anyone else feeling absolutely flattened by today? Are there reasons to be hopeful that my brain can’t see right now? Natasha - what do you tweet back?
The Big Question
So Natasha and Keith - Where can we find hope in a coronavirus world?
