Eva Louis

It seems that more than any time in our lives, people all around the world are divided. Society has changed from one of mostly peace and cohesion to one of hatred and suffering. From politics to private lives, depression, anxiety, gender identity, inflation, education, civil rights, reproductive health, addiction, and suicide are relentlessly raging across the globe, forever changing the lives of youth and adults. In this final book of the series, authors come together to help inspire togetherness. Whether trying to unite a personal or business relationship or praying that the entire civilization comes together harmoniously, you will find hope and inspiration in these stories. That's why this book exists.

Per Mental Health America (MHA), "working at something that is meaningful to you can bring you a sense of purpose that will anchor you. Meaningful activity expands your sense of self-worth by adding to your skills and helping you accomplish your personal goals and feel good about yourself. Meaningful activity, which includes school, volunteer work, part-time work, and full-time employment, also enables you to meet new people and make friends." Having a sense of purpose in life is associated with a lower risk of death, according to a study published on May 24, 2019, in JAMA Network Open. The conclusion was those who had a stronger purpose in life had a significantly decreased mortality rate and overall better quality of life. These built-in health benefits provided a reason to get up each day. Stanford's psychologist William Damon describes a sense of purpose as "a stable and generalized intention to accomplish something that is meaningful to you and that leads you into the community and outside of your personal space." Purpose involves achievement, progress, and completion. Purpose opens opportunities that can help us discover goals and ideals that are personally meaningful and reach beyond ourselves to progressively define our existence. Yet, purpose does not have specific definitions or boundaries. In summary, having a purpose - whether large or small impacts our physical and mental health and overall well-being and quality of life.

Per Mental Health America, 1,872,000,000 (48%) of the world's population feels hopeless. Science proves HOPE lowers the risk of early death and gives people a sense of purpose. Feeling HOPE helps release regret, sadness, anger, and depression. HOPE is not easy to feel, yet feeling HOPE creates possibilities to believe good things will happen so that they really can. Hopelessness is a symptom of many behavioral and mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, bipolar, eating disorders, PTSD, substance abuse, and suicidal ideations. However, hopelessness does not have to co-occur with any particular condition. Not only do feelings of hopelessness compromise an individual's sense of well-being and stability, it typically robs them of the motivation required to reach out for help or to utilize available resources. In fact, many of the common statements said by those feeling hopeless include: my situation will never get better, I have no future, no one can help me, I feel like giving up, it's too late, I have no hope, my situation is helpless, I feel doom, and I will never be happy again.