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some thoughts on hopelessness

i just learned that someone i respect and look to for hope - someone i just met but feel so comfortable with and can already feel frustrated about and then appreciate all over again - is totally depressed. even as he puts himself out there day after day, arguing, pleading, demanding radical change, he speaks quietly (so that only a few people can hear) of how everything drains him.
then i learned that he isn't alone, that so many people who seem to be so fierce are on the verge of suicide.
how can i return even a little inspiration to the bottomless pool of despair? i think young people hold a lot of potential in their fresh, clear eyes, to see through the smoke and the clouds. wouldn't it be great to have a school for baby revolutionaries? wouldn't it be amazing to see the world through their eyes?
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