Sarah Elek
In times of difficulty, when everything seems to be falling apart and solutions are hard to find, hope is the most important thing to have. When you have hope, you have the strength and ability to push forward and succeed against all odds. Without it, it is easy to lose your way and give up when faced with extreme difficulties. We now find ourselves facing such extreme difficulties. We are trying to find solutions to fix our economy, solve the energy crisis, preserve our planet, stop corruption in our government, cure disease, better educate our children, improve the quality of our food, and the list goes on. The old ways aren’t working, and we need to find new ways fast. At this time, you can see the hope wherever you look, you can see people changing, inventing, and working towards a better future, despite the feeling that everything is falling apart and that the problems we face often seem impossible to solve. When I came across this quote by the Christian reformer Martin Luther, I felt it embodied the spirit of our times. In response to being asked what he would do if he discovered Christ would return and the world would end tomorrow, he was quoted as saying, “Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.” For him, it meant that life in this world is important, and that despite all odds, you have to have hope. You have to do something. Many special thanks to Bob and Tammi Elek and Marjorie Skotheim and Erik Wogstad, as well as Madeline Wogstad, for their amazing help with the placing and hanging of the posters- they found spots that truly reinforced the relevance and importance of Martin Luther’s words, and it could not have happened without them.
