The state of the world today was captured well, though shockingly, in images from the days when the Islamic State was first on the rise, as zealots took jackhammers to antiquities thousands of years old and reduced to rubble the priceless heritage of civilizations. Those actions were but reminders of the destruction of thousands of human lives, the rampaging of villages, the violation of women, and the debasement of religion. The images from that time stand as metaphors today for what is taking place in political and religious spheres in many places, as we stand by helplessly and watch the destruction of, or at least fierce resistance to, years of progress and the building up of hope, particularly in the political and religious spheres of life. It is easy to grow discouraged before what can sometimes seem like the falling of a heavy dark curtain upon the world.