A Few Thoughts on Hope (August 2010)

From August 1, 2010

What is it about human nature that longs to sustain hope even when the odds are seemingly not in our favor? 

Hope can be thought of as a longing or desire for something in our life.  In a nutshell, we want to believe.  No matter how bad things may appear or how dark the times may be in which we live, we still want to believe.  We need to believe because hope is our lifeline.  It is what keeps us going when all else fails.  It is the essence of the indomitable human spirit.

The human spirit does not want to be subdued, vanquished or overcome.  Above all, the human spirit wants to survive and so we go on hoping because it is necessary.  The very core of human existence depends on the hope and ability to survive.

Because hope is such an integral part of life, we can see life's hurdles and obstacles as choices that must be made, rather than barriers and obstructions.  Nobody is immune to trouble.  Sooner or later it will find us.   But without hope, we have very little to sustain us in troubled times, and we quickly become mired in despair. 

Hope is a wish or desire for a chance of a better outcome; something that we want to happen or be true.  It is something in which we must place our trust.  It is something our spirit needs, because without hope, we cannot succeed. 

Simply put, human nature is such that we must always have hope because as long as we have hope, we have a chance to succeed.