HOPE IT IS

It is widely accepted that Hope is the one thing that makes people succeed in whatever they set out to achieve in life. When the chips are down and when one is feeling defeated, Hope is supposed to keep you going, Hope is what turns the tide. So, what is Hope? How would one describe Hope? Is it a feeling, is it an expression or is it just dumb luck that decides to strike someone when fortune feels charitable?

I compare Hope to the foliage one sees on winter days travelling on trains. Lined up along the tracks are trees, ravaged by the cold, bereft of any life and stark. No hope, they say, of security, joy and happiness. Everything is forlorn and lost. But then, ever so often, as the scenery rolls past the window of the train like on a conveyor belt, flashes of green pepper the vision for brief periods; Presenting glimpses of life, security, joy and teasing of happier times. How one chooses to translate this sight is what defines Hope.

You can go with the fashion and choose the grey or you could select the more colourful green. The choice is yours. Hope is an Attitude. An attitude that seeks the green in the grey, the life in the lifeless and the joy in the sadness. Hope does not just appear, it is within, it needs to be found and with just the eyes that seek it!
Hope motivates us to persevere, into the darkness, to journey onward, despite the obstacles blocking the trail of life, despite not knowing how, or when, or where, or why our life’s story will conclude.

According to Charles R Snyder, a psychologist, hope includes three elements: a belief, a goal, and a path. The person who is hopeful believes that he/she will succeed. Secondly, the person has a specific goal or direction or destination. Thirdly, the person knows the route or path he/she will take to achieve the desired outcome. And so, hope is a mindset, the will and determination to believe that you’ll overcome. Hope also provides you with a map of the route on how to achieve the desired outcome.

Hope is not wishful thinking, nor is it magical thinking. Hope is an emotion, a mindset, a belief, a motivation, that despite setbacks and obstacles, despite hardship and misfortune, despite the unknown last chapter of your life’s story, you believe that your life will work out, that when you take your last breathe, there is something else beyond this world.