Hope is defined by many as one of the most powerful engines capable of moving human beings in a certain direction. In a way, it is the key to our dreams and has sometimes proved decisive in the progress of humanity.
Today, after a long time, I am going to offer you my thoughts on this hopeful expectation that characterises most of humanity in an extraordinarily peculiar way. In the classical and humanistic view, hope is an entity that involves both reason and feeling to some extent. More recently, as the more modern idea that all feelings are related to a chemical reaction induced in some way has gained ground, more practical theories have been formalised.
Of course, since this is my own personal reflection, we will not dwell too much on the various aspects of the definitions of hope because you can consult them on other sites that deal with them better. The advantage of being able to offer you my reflections is precisely that of avoiding copying and pasting differently formulated and elaborated by others.
I realise that many of you may perceive a certain familiarity in what I am writing. In fact, it is not unusual for entities made of the same material, with a similar genetic code and an assiduous stay in the same social fabric, to share very similar experiences.
If this were not so, any kind of science and technology applied to human beings would be meaningless. This is a very valuable thing in my opinion and I will explain why later in the article.
No matter how much we may be persuaded to know what life has in store for us, no matter how much our experiences lead us to believe that we can predict the decisions of others, there is always something that, disguised as a random exception, brings chaos and doubt into our minds consumed by distrust or blind trust.
In other words, I would call this tendency ‘hope’. Who would play the lottery if no one ever won? For many of us, it may be inevitable that we succumb to the same mistakes over and over again, and the fact that we tend to turn away from those who point them out to us may often be a clear symptom of how widespread is the awareness that we cannot cope.
We may lie to others but our subconscious knows who we are and what we are worth.
The worst thing, however, may be that when we realise this, we may have a tendency to slip back into our mistakes with self-defeating determination. Like a person with an eating disorder who, if discovered, will indulge in food, undoing all their previous efforts.
It would be enough simply to acknowledge the mistake and ensure that it does not happen again.
However, hope seems to me to be the very thing that moves the world. The hope of being loved back, of becoming rich, of success, of finding a cure for a certain disease and many other things.
What would humanity be today without those chaotic underpinnings that lead us to think that, despite our logical and sensible expectations, something unusual might occur that changes the most predictable scenario? Who among us has never smiled while daydreaming about something?
Unfortunately, over-hope may lead many of us to experience unpleasant situations. Every human being who lives the age of illusions (when everything seems possible), sooner or later comes up against harsh reality. Three possible reactions come to mind in this regard.
The first (which is the most common of all) is to mature in a healthy way. The balanced wisdom of our grandparents comes to mind. They encourage us, but they also urge us to keep our feet firmly on the ground.
The other two reactions are both the result of exaggeration. There are those who continue to hope for something unattainable and those who no longer believe in anything. I think that both behaviours (if taken to extremes), could be a symptom of a pathological condition or the trigger of a latent status. This condition can lead to serious consequences as is the case with all obsessions. A clear example would be the pathological addiction to gambling.
To live on hope alone may mean wandering recklessly through the golden labyrinth of broken dreams and bitterness that is life. Living without hope could mean lying motionless forever in a corner of this labyrinth in a state of total inability to continue.
But if it is true that life is a labyrinth full of bitterness and broken dreams, it must be just as true as we know that it hides within it some rare rewards and some help to continue our journey. Wouldn’t it be more logical to set out, taking note of past experiences to avoid going round and round in circles? Hence the strong link that I believe there is between the experience (the story), the present and the future.
As I always say, and as I think is clearly stated, this is just a friendly reflection. However, I am convinced that even if I have written only wrong things or inaccuracies, there must be something true. Or at least “I hope so”.
Always feel “free” to let us know what your concept of hope is, how you experience it and how you perceived the article in the comments. A virtual hug to everyone if I may!
