During times of stress and uncertainty, it can be challenging to keep a positive mindset. At a time when the daily news can make the world feel relentless and hope futile, Paul Loeb, author and political organizer, argues the opposite in a newly updated edition of his book, "The Impossible Will Take A Little While: Perseverance and Hope in Troubled Times."

Loeb’s book offers an antidote to despair, gathering stories of how courage can become contagious, and how people can prevail against all odds. He draws on a plethora of notable voices from Nelson Mandela to Maya Angelou, Desmond Tutu to Alexei Navalny – who faced their own impossible challenges but who chose to persist anyway. From the fight against South African apartheid to Putin’s prison conditions to the 2024 South Korean coup, Loeb provides firsthand accounts from ordinary people who have changed history, simply by refusing to quit. These stories do not minimize the obstacles or the price of engaging in these battles but instead, they aim to encourage us to maintain the hope needed to stand up for what we believe in.

Resilience is another key component in fighting despair and our second speaker is Dr. Dennis Charney, eminent psychiatrist and Dean Emeritus of Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and co-author of the breakthrough book, "RESILIENCE."  Weaving together the results of modern neurobiological research and the insights of over three decades of clinical work with trauma survivors, Charney identified ways to help individuals become more resilient. But can resilience be taught?

Plutarch, the Greek philosopher, once wrote, “What we achieve inwardly will change outer reality.” Cambridge Forum asks our speakers to consider if that is really possible.

Sign up to join this pertinent discussion and pose your own questions. We trusts that these stories of perseverance will help restore hope and resilience in your own life. Register now to take part and tell your friends!