The dream of 1994 has been betrayed. A dream that imagined equality, a thriving economy, and a just and prosperous future for all. But poverty has deepened, corruption is rampant, and social tensions are on the rise. The country needs to hope again. In this thoughtful analysis of what’s right and wrong in South Africa, Mamphela Ramphele speaks candidly about her own brief foray into party politics, considers the insights of black consciousness and other ideologies, and looks for solutions to the country’s problems. She argues that the political settlement of the 1990s needs to be accompanied by an ‘emotional settlement’ that will heal the trauma of colonialism and apartheid, and a ‘socio-economic settlement’ to promote social justice and equality for all. She seeks ways of reimagining the country and its future, and suggests innovative ways to solve the education crisis, to renew our cities, and to achieve a just and reconciled South Africa. ‘It is time,’ she says, ‘to reimagine the country and its future. We owe this to our children’s children. We dare not fail.’

Discover the Path to Resilience and Joy Through Timeless Biblical Teachings In the swirling chaos of modern life, where challenges seem to loom at every corner, emerges a beacon of light promising not just to guide but to transform. "Hope Rising: Biblical Wisdom for Tough Times" is more than a book; it's a journey into the heart of resilience, strength, and unwavering faith. Dive into compelling narratives from the Bible that speak directly to the toughest trials you face today. From the enduring patience of Job to the triumphant courage of Esther, each story is meticulously explored to reveal hidden gems of wisdom that are as relevant now as they were centuries ago. Discover how these timeless lessons can illuminate your path, offering a new perspective on hope that is both refreshing and deeply comforting. The Psalms of Hope and Prophetic Voices of Hope chapters are treasures waiting to be uncovered. Walk through the valleys with the Psalms of Lament and feel the exhilarating release of the Psalms of Rescue. Let the visionary peace of Isaiah and the renewing promises of Jeremiah wash over you, bringing solace and strength to press forward. At the heart of this transformative book, the life and teachings of Jesus are presented as the ultimate embodiment of hope. The Beatitudes, Parables of Hope, and Paul's letters on suffering lead you through a profound exploration of how to find joy amidst trials, featuring practical applications that can be seamlessly integrated into daily life. But the wisdom doesn't stop there. Learn how to pray for hope, find hope in community, and overcome doubt with faith. Be inspired by modern-day stories of hope and gain actionable insights on cultivating your own hope and sharing it with others. "Hope Rising: Biblical Wisdom for Tough Times" is not just a book; it's a lifeline for anyone yearning for a resurgence of faith and a revival of spirit. Whether you're battling personal demons, wrestling with doubt, or simply seeking a beacon of hope in a troubled world, let this book be your guide to rediscovering the eternal spring of hope that flows through the heart of the biblical message. Embrace the journey within these pages as you find not just answers, but a whole new way of seeing the world. Your path to a more hopeful future begins here.

Based on fifteen years of experience treating survivors of family violence, James Leehan provides this excellent resource to aid all individuals trying to overcome the effects of abusive behavior--behavior that is often supported by religion and generates spiritual conflicts for survivors. He helps survivors identify their feelings and behaviors and examines Jewish and Christian religious resources that can promote healing and spiritual growth. Leehan also reviews the spiritual dimension of the pain that survivors of family violence confront daily and the special skills they developed to survive in a hostile environment.

There have been two common assumptions about Stanley Kubrick: that his films portray human beings who are driven exclusively by aggression and greed, and that he pessimistically rejected meaning in a contingent, postmodern world. However, as Kubrick himself remarked, 'A work of art should be always exhilarating and never depressing, whatever its subject matter may be.' In this new interpretation of Kubrick's films, Julian Rice suggests that the director's work had a more positive outlook than most people credit him. And while other studies have recounted Kubrick's life and production histories, few have offered lucid explanations of specific sources and their influence on his films. In Kubrick's Hope, Rice explains how the theories of Freud and Jung took cinematic form, and also considers the significant impression left on the director's last six films by Robert Ardrey, Bruno Bettelheim, and Joseph Campbell. In addition to providing useful contexts, Rice offers close readings of the films, inviting readers to note details they may have missed and to interpret them in their own way. By refreshing their experience of the films and discarding postmodern clichZs, viewers may discover more optimistic themes in the director's works. Beginning with 2001: A Space Odyssey and continuing through A Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket, and Eyes Wide Shut, Rice illuminates Kubrick's thinking at the time he made each film. Throughout, Rice examines the compelling political, psychological, and spiritual issues the director raises. As this book contends, if these works are considered together and repeatedly re-viewed, Kubrick's films may help viewers to personally grow and collectively endure.

In my minds eye, a little girl crouches in a dark and cluttered hallway closet. Mountains of stuff fill this tiny room, where she remains hidden from everyone and everything. Besides the stuff of anger and doubt in this small space, the walls have writing on them that names the fears, insecurities, and reasons for shielding herself from the unfamiliar and the unknown. Many times, the little girl tries to exit her safe place. With a mask of self-prescribed extroversion, she determinedly leaves the four walls of her secret domain to be good at things and peoplea good student, wife, even a mother. Hesitantly, she tells herself that hope and joy are within reach. But after a short stay away from the security of the hallway closet, the little girl goes back inside and continues hiding from life. I was that young girl. I did not want to live this way any longer, so I cried out to Godwho had been with me all along. He knew my pain, insecurities, anger, and fear. Bigger than any wall of self-protection I built, God would bring down these walls if I let him. My crying out was the first step.

REA's MAXnotes for George Orwell's 1984 MAXnotes offer a fresh look at masterpieces of literature, presented in a lively and interesting fashion. Written by literary experts who currently teach the subject, MAXnotes will enhance your understanding and enjoyment of the work. MAXnotes are designed to stimulate independent thought about the literary work by raising various issues and thought-provoking ideas and questions. MAXnotes cover the essentials of what one should know about each work, including an overall summary, character lists, an explanation and discussion of the plot, the work's historical context, illustrations to convey the mood of the work, and a biography of the author. Each chapter is individually summarized and analyzed, and has study questions and answers.

This volume is initial reflections on the meaning and the implications of Yuk Hui’s notion of cosmotechnics, which opens up an anti-universalist and pluralist perspective on technology beyond the West. Martin Heidegger’s famous analysis of the essence of technology as enframing and as rooted in ancient Greek techne has had a crucial influence on the understanding and critique of technological society and culture in the twentieth century. However, it is still unclear to what extent his analysis can also be applied to the development of technology outside of ‘the West’, e.g. in China, Africa, and Latin America, particularly against the backdrop of receding Western domination and impending global ecological disaster. Acknowledging the planetary expansion of Western technology already observed by Heidegger, yet also recognizing the existence of non-Western origins of technical relationships to the cosmos, Yuk Hui’s notion of cosmotechnics calls for a rethinking – in dialogue with decolonial studies and the so-called ontological turn in contemporary anthropology – of the question concerning technology which challenges the universality still present in Heidegger (as well as in Simondon and Stiegler) and proposes a radical technological or rather cosmotechnical pluralism or technodiversity. The contributors to this volume critically engage with this proposal and examine the possible implications of Hui’s cosmotechnical turn in thinking about technology as it becomes a planetary force in our current age of the Anthropocene. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Angelaki.

Respected Bible teacher Chuck Swindoll opens God’s Word to help you understand how you can find hope in times of crisis. All of us are in desperate need of strength to endure and hope to carry on. Life is difficult and demanding. It’s often filled with pain, heartaches, setbacks, and detours. Disappointments in others sadden us, scandals among those we respect shock us, and disputes in our families, churches, or workplaces demoralize us. When such troubles strike, they can be downright devastating. But they don’t have to be! In Clinging to Hope, Chuck Swindoll reassures us that we can endure unexpected calamities. How? By taking our stand on the strong foundation of God’s Word. When trials and tribulations rumble in like a fleet of bulldozers to demolish our lives, we can emerge from the rubble with a strong resolve to recover and rebuild. Not just to survive, but to thrive. In Clinging to Hope, Chuck will help you answer questions such as: Why is there so much suffering? Why did my family member or friend succumb to health issues? How can I carry on when I have no strength left? Why is there so much conflict in the world? Where can I find hope when there is none to be found?

Good or evil, your words can have the ability to unwittingly create self-destructive entanglements. There is no such thing as empty words. When we speak, angels and demons go to work. The angel's mission is to obey words that speak God's commands. However, the demon's job is to be counter reactive. They want to keep you out of the will of God. Have you ever seen something that you wanted and said, "One day I am going to have that..."? And before you knew it, you had possession of that thing. Was it just an unexplainable coincidence? Not in the spirit realm! The central character in Kept by an Angels Message of Hope chronicles how she unwittingly spoke into existence an adulterous love affair. She brings to life the spiritual warfare that ensued speaking innocent but powerful faith-filled words. She exchanges the physical scars of a near fatal accident for the emotional scars of the guilt complex associated with adultery. Her grief is compounded by the arrogance of choosing an opportunist mentality rather than a relationship born of true love. This is a true-to-life spiritual account of the creative power of words. Words that ensnared her into a decade long relationship of infidelity and bondage. She explores the sacrifice and high stakes of remaining in an aging unfruitful relationship. The love interest is a high-profile NBA Rookie sensation. His wealth, generosity and fame were magnetic. Notwithstanding, he was also an NBA celebrated evangelical minister. You will go on a journey of discovery, love, betrayal and ultimately heartbreak. In this compelling drama, she navigates the temptations of the bait of Satan called Compromise.

An appeal for the importance of theory, utopia, and close consideration of our contemporary dark times What does any particular theory allow us to do? What is the value of doing so? And who benefits? In Invoking Hope, Phillip E. Wegner argues for the undiminished importance of the practices of theory, utopia, and a deep and critical reading of our current situation of what Bertolt Brecht refers to as finsteren Zeiten, or dark times. Invoking Hope was written in response to three events that occurred in 2016: the five hundredth anniversary of the publication of Thomas More’s Utopia; the one hundredth anniversary of the founding text in theory, Ferdinand de Saussure’s Course in General Linguistics; and the rise of the right-wing populism that culminated in the election of Donald Trump. Wegner offers original readings of major interventions in theory alongside dazzling utopian imaginaries developed from classical Greece to our global present—from Theodor Adorno, Ernst Bloch, Alain Badiou, Jacques Derrida, Fredric Jameson, Sarah Ahmed, Susan Buck-Morss, and Jacques Lacan to such works as Plato’s Republic, W. E. B. Du Bois’s John Brown, Isak Dinesen’s “Babette’s Feast,” Kim Stanley Robinson’s 2312, and more. Wegner comments on an expansive array of modernist and contemporary literature, film, theory, and popular culture. With Invoking Hope, Wegner provides an innovative lens for considering the rise of right-wing populism and the current crisis in democracy. He discusses challenges in the humanities and higher education and develops strategies of creative critical reading and hope against the grain of current trends in scholarship.