A Spot of Hope

America did not invent human rights. In a very real way, human rights invented America.

--President Jimmy Carter, born on this day in 1924

Lately, I've been considering the connection between our country's current upheaval and how this country was formed -- through genocide, colonization, slavery, destruction of families and civilizations. Sometimes I wonder if America was doomed from the beginning, and what possible future we could create with such a birth.

But this quote gives me space for a gentle breath. As we know better, we do better. Perhaps human rights and its champions will carve a future America based in peace, interconnectedness, and respect for the earth.