Tuesday 13 July 2010

Hope.

I have a problem with the concept of ‘hope.’ It seems so negative, so dependent. Action and will I believe in; they’re strong and positive. When you’ve taken those two as far as you can, all that’s left is to wait and see. Hope sets us up for a fall, and when the fall comes the result is hopelessness. They seem like two impostors to me, and I try to do without both of them.

I’m not always successful.

And there are uncomfortable angles, as there are with all arguments.

2 comments:

lucy said...

If there's one thing I've learnt, it's to never get your hopes up- at least, not too high. Because with me, I always end up falling flat on my face again. But then again, hope is one of those powerful forces in life that us humans can't help but feel. Even though most of the time it fails us, there will always remain inklings of hopes- even in the destituted- because it's natural. It's always there, and it will always rule a part of us, however much we don't want it to.

JJ said...

Hi Lu. Yes, it's complicated. Humans generally can't help hoping. But I think the point to make is that while action and will can affect the outcome, hope can't. It's passive, and therefore arguably pointless in most circumstances. Better to develop equanimity if you can, I think.