Daily life is full of tipping points, and some of them can provide reasons for hopefulness. Actual tipping points may be hard to see, because they may occur before the observable event we name as the moment of change. An example: In June, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of gay marriage. Many of us named that occasion as the possible tipping point regarding the country’s attitudes about LGBQT+ persons. Lives changed—and are still changing—but we may have missed the actual tipping point. It could have occurred earlier—in October,1998—when Matthew Shephard, a young gay man, was brutally tortured and murdered in rural Wyoming. Widespread revulsion and repudiation about that act spread quickly, and the national psyche bent towards acceptance and inclusion.
As we look at society’s problems, we hope that tipping points will emerge—tangible evidence that a solution has taken hold: That a war is over, climate change has slowed, income inequality is diminishing or evil is being punished. Another reason for hope: It’s likely that real tipping points have already taken place or are about to occur. We may not see them yet, but they’re there, and they’ll become evident soon enough. An example: The prevalence of blinding hate and anger in politics may already be waning, but we may have to wait for the next election to know if that’s true.
At this moment, quiet, positive and hopeful tipping points are happening invisibly, inside thousands of individual minds. Those large-scale personal shifts have begun with one person’s actions and are now rippling across society. That means that any of us could be among those who continue moving the world towards God’s justice, peace and love!
Because you may be a tipping point person, hold onto your hope!
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