Where to find ’critical hope’ in hard times

In an era of political polarization, and fatigue from ongoing crises, education scholar Kari Grain argues hope is vital. It's not something you have, it's something you do. Grain says "critical hope" in action is an abiding belief that transformation is not just possible, but crucial. So how does water play into hope? The author explores how hope can come from three areas: teachers, critical thinking and biomimicry, the practice of observing how nature functions in order to solve human problems. Grain reimagines hope as something that can move like the four habits of water: bending, pooling in deep places, going underground, and persisting. In this way, hope is fluid enough to forge new pathways forward.

Kari Grain is a professor at the University of British Columbia in the Faculty of Education, where she leads the Masters program in Adult Learning and Global Change Program. She delivered the University of Prince Edward Island’s 2025 Shannon K Murray Lecture on Hope and the Academy.