It was very interesting to watch the 2008 US election campaign with all its talk of hope.

Checking Wikipedia, a definition of Hope “is a belief in a positive outcome related to events and circumstances in one’s life.”

But hope is not a strategy by which one can achieve change. So it makes me wonder what concrete actions Obama will take to bring about change. And I wonder how he will do this in the face of the multiple challenges facing the US and the world.

Some the challenges for the US and the world include:

• wars on several fronts
• continued terrorism
• economic crisis
• growing unemployment
• growing divides between rich and poor
• high expectations from diverse supporter groups
• shifting relationships on international stage

Hope is not going to save us. Nor is focusing only on the problems. The real challenge will be in harnessing the hope and turning it into energy directed towards positive change.

This is where ideas of resilient and sustainable local communities really come into play. Just like we’ve heard for many years it is time to think global (in terms of hope) and to act local (in terms of positive actions).

Hope is not a strategy, and hope without meaningful action plans is merely wasted energy.

So the question is “what actions are you going to take today to change the world, to change your life, or even to change your mind?”