As August (and Q3 for those in the corporate world) comes to a close, I think 2025 will go down as one of the darkest years in history in terms of democracy, human rights, and peace.
Authoritarianism, political ambition, and willful ignorance have undone decades of progress in a matter of months. And, honestly, I’m being optimistic.
Why optimistic? Because, to quote the former Terrence Trent D’Arby, “I have faith in these desolate times.” I have hope too. Because the alternative—sinking into a dark put of depression and hopelessness—is a hell I refuse to live through again.
Not today—or ever—Satan.
Faith and hope are a helluva lot cheaper than the dispensary, pharmacy, and therapy bills that come with giving up.
For me, hope isn’t optional. It’s holistic medicine.
Hope may look fragile, but it’s one of the most resilient forces we have. In times like these—when headlines scream despair, when leaders fail us, when uncertainty looms—it can feel like the smallest candle in the darkest room. And yet, even faint flickering lights can keep the shadows at bay.
I often have to remind myself: History is a pendulum…and is always ticking forward. Today’s “heroes” are tomorrow’s “villains.” It’s all mythology, written with more feeling than fact. So even when things feel unbearable, I try to remember the fat lady hasn’t sung her final notes.
The phrase “the best is yet to come” isn’t just naïve optimism. It’s a way of surviving the shitstorms. It’s the recognition that what feels impossible today could spark tomorrow’s breakthrough. It’s remembering that grief can be fertile ground for growth, and that even when the road ahead is under construction, we can still keep grooving and moving forward.
When I’m exhausted, I tend to believe nothing matters and that nothing will change. But history tells a different story. Oppression has been met with resistance. Broken systems have been reimagined. People heal. Seasons shift.
Holding on to hope doesn’t mean pretending everything is fine (and never forget “F.I.N.E.” is an acronym for “Fucked Up, Insecure, Neurotic, and Emotional”).
Hope means being realistic and still daring to believe in the possibility of something better and doing whatever you can to make it happen. Hope is resilience in its purest form: refusing to quit on yourself, on others, or on the future.
So if you find yourself mad and/or sad right now—it happens to the best of us—please remember our story isn’t done. Not by a long shot. We’re still here, queer, and making history, dear. So tell the haters “Fuck You”…and do you, boo!
The simple act of waking up and breathing is proof that the best is yet to come.
White light in, dark smoke out.
Hold on tight to that light within you—it matters more than you might think. It’s a beacon, guiding us toward better days ahead.
Better days for me, you, and everyone we know and love.
Keep calm and carry on!
Clint 🌈✌️
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ON THIS DAY = AUGUST 28
BIRTHDAYS
1749 = Johann Wolfgang von Goethe = German novelist, poet, playwright, and diplomat
1825 = Karl Heinrich Ulrichs = German lawyer, writer, and activist 🌈
1899 = Charles Boyer = French-American actor, singer, and producer
1910 = Morris Graves = American painter and academic
1921 = Nancy Kulp = American actor 🌈
1925 = Donald O'Connor = American actor, singer, and dance
1929 = Roxie Roker = American actor
1930 = Ben Gazzara = American actor
1935 = Sonny Shroyer = American actor
1943 = David Soul = American actor and singer
1943 = Robert Greenwald = American director and producer
1957 = Daniel Stern = American actor and director
1957 = Ai Weiwei = Chinese artist and activist
1957 = Phranc = American singer-songwriter 🌈
1958 = Scott Hamilton = American figure skater
1959 = Brian Thompson = American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
1960 = Emma Samms = English actor
1961 = Jennifer Coolidge = American actor
1962 = David Fincher = American director and producer
1965 = Keith Boykin = American producer and political commentator 🌈
1965 = Shania Twain = Canadian singer-songwriter
1968 = Billy Boyd = Scottish actor and singer
1969 = Jack Black = American actor and comedian
1969 = Jason Priestley = Canadian actor, director, and producer
1971 = Daniel Goddard = Australian-American actor
1981 = Jake Owen = American singer-songwriter
1982 = LeAnn Rimes = American singer-songwriter
1986 = Armie Hammer = American actor
EVENTS
1830 = The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's new Tom Thumb steam locomotive races a horse-drawn car, presaging steam's role in US railroads.
1845 = The first issue of Scientific American magazine is published.
1850 = Richard Wagner's Lohengrin premieres at the Staatskapelle Weimar.
1898 = Caleb Bradham's beverage "Brad's Drink" is renamed "Pepsi-Cola."
1963 = Martin Luther King Jr. gives his I Have a Dream speech.
HOLIDAYS + OBSERVANCES
PORTRAIT + QUOTE OF THE DAY
“As a person, I was born to give out my opinions. By giving out my opinions, I realize who I am. As long as I can communicate, I'm not so lonely. If I cannot travel, or do art, or have company, if they take away all my belongings, it doesn't matter at all.”
Ai Weiwei
Clint, glad to read that your life seems to be coming back to normality.
You mentioned the corporate world, and there, too, this year should be seen by leaders
and managers as portending bad business conditions, possibly even disastrous. It is already
evident in many businesses.
. We must not allow ourselves to become exhausted or demoralized.
This is beautiful, Clint. Hope here doesn’t feel fluffy. It feels like grit, like defiance, like the stubborn heartbeat that keeps us alive when the world’s trying to crush us. 🌈🔥