Stay Connected! Join our mailing list to receive the latest news, updates, and events related to our communities.
Our newsletter, delivered once a month, is the interfaith bridge connecting you to many communities.
On occasion, we may reach out with with an additional announcement or event of high importance.
Bridging to Belonging
Hope in Mind: The Cognitive Path to Connection
January 20, 2025
In a world that feels increasingly divided, where contentment, optimism and resilience can feel fleeting and unattainable, the simple act of building a bridge across differences and creating spaces of belonging where each person feels seen, heard, and valued, is transformational. An intentional shift, an opening of the heart, a curiosity for the unknown, and a willingness to allow in new ways of thinking help hope to take seed and blossom into something sustainable that will feed a soul even during days of little sun. However, hope is not simply a short- lived emotion. It is an intentional and distinct cognitive process that drives us to seek and participate in creating a better future. By recognizing and connecting this process with concrete bridging practices, we are more easily able to create meaningful and lasting spaces of true belonging.
Based on C.R. Snyder’s theory in The Psychology of Hope: You Can Get There From Here (1), hope is defined as an individual’s ability to identify goals, determine strategies, and muster the willingness to pursue these goals. This is accomplished through a distinct series of patterns that in turn allow an individual to have feelings of peace, relief and excitement. Having a meaningful goal, having the waypower or strategies in place to achieve the goal and having willpower or the energy and willingness to continue reaching for the goal even in the face of opposition or setbacks are concrete patterns that have a direct relation to the practices of bridging. These practices help individuals continue to search for and create spaces of belonging even across differences or divides.
When it is a goal to build bridges and create spaces of belonging where every person is seen, heard and valued, sometimes conformity and agreement are confused with true belonging. We seek out those who think like we do, or we seek to persuade others, and while we may temporarily feel acceptance and belonging in this space, it will not be lasting. Only when we work together, taking care to see others in their full humanity and complexity, will we be able to experience true peace and true hope. Only then will we be able to build lasting bridges. We also must acknowledge that we are human, may make mistakes, may not understand or have all the answers, and be open to learning because of this. The waypower or strategies we have in place to reach our goal must be tempered by our recognition that we need the voices of others to reach our full potential and co-create new ways of thinking or new futures together. Finally, we must also be aware that our desire to reach a new goal may hit roadblocks along the way. We must accept that we will not always agree with others. We may not always share the same goals, employ the same strategies, or we may be hurt by others along the way. However, we must still use our willpower to remain committed to including the voices of others, even when it feels difficult. Our connection to others remains the single greatest asset in our path to finding lasting peace and hope. Celebrating each other, supporting collective efforts, and working towards a common purpose strengthen our commitment and foster belonging.
The journey toward building bridges and creating spaces of belonging requires intentionality, humility, and perseverance. It calls for us to embrace hope as both a feeling that guides us and as a cognitive process that enables us to imagine and work toward a better future. By having meaningful goals, creating strategies rooted in collaboration, and embracing the willpower to persist through challenges, we can turn fleeting emotions into lasting connections. True belonging goes beyond conformity and embraces diversity, seeing and valuing each individual. While the path may contain challenges and hurt, the act of creating bridges across differences strengthens resilience and renews hope. By recognizing our shared humanity and building spaces of belonging, we can co-create a world where every individual feels seen, heard, and valued—one bridge at a time.
1. Snyder, C.R. (1994). The Psychology of Hope: You Can Get There From Here. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.
