Editorial: This Easter we should all be on the hunt for plenty of hope

It was data so stark that it rattled the seemingly unshakeable billionaire businessman Larry Fink. In his recent annual letter to investors, the Blackrock co-founder wrote that a story in the Wall Street Journal about the loss of hope — specifically among the younger generation — had left him “disheartened”.

In the 90s, the story noted, a clear majority of young Americans were optimistic about their future.

But post-COVID, that sense of hope has faded, with young people pondering the purpose of life and finding it “hard to have hope for the world”.

That sense of despair has affected older people and all of us the world over.

Hope and the need to have it and hold on to it are consistent themes in this year’s Easter messages.

Of course, one mustn’t necessarily ascribe their sense of hope to their belonging to a particular church, but our religious leaders have given us all food for thought with their messages in Agenda.

They write of the importance, even when faced with war and woes, of retaining hope.

The Most Rev. Timothy Costelloe cites the war in Gaza and Ukraine, the civil war in Sudan and the “brutal” oppression of people in Myanmar.

“This depressing list does not exhaust the reality of the violence, conflict and destruction which marks our contemporary world,” he writes.

But kindness and hope can help us navigate our way through the darkness.

And pastor Joel Chelliah writes that Easter is “a reminder that even in the darkest times, there is always hope for change and a better future.”

“May this Easter season fill your heart with joy, your soul with peace, and your life with renewed hope,” he says.

This Easter, whether young or old or in between, we are reminded to be kind to one another and, through faith, determination and love, to search for hope in our everyday.

Happy Easter from all of us at The West Australian.