Hope

      Human beings are creatures of hope.  Unlike animals, we always have preconceived notions of the future.  For example, in ancient hunting societies, hunters hoped for the best before they went on their trips, this was despite whatever they were experiencing.  For example,  even if they had failed again and again, they would still hope for the best on the next trip.  That hope was necessary as without it, they would not even have the motivation to go fro the hunt.  It has been a long time since those hunting days, and today we are still as hopeful as ever. 

       The student who has failed his examinations, hopes that his father does not punish him.  He goes home and shows his results slip to his parents.  His father is enraged and gives him a sound beating.  The student’s hope of not getting punished is dashed.  His father’s hopes are also dashed; he had wished for his son to be brilliant academically.  His son has proven otherwise; but the father does not lose hope, and prays that his son will do better the next year.

      The gambler who has lost all his money realizes that he nowhere to go.  He has owed too much money and the loan sharks are coming after him.  His friends and relatives are shunning him as he also owes them money.  They will have nothing to do with him.  He has lost all hope.  He kills himself.

      As one can see, hope gives us the reason to go on.  Without hope, one can lose the will to survive. 

      Hope can sometimes work against us as well.  If we use hope to delude ourselves, we fail to solve the main problem.  A mother is having problems with her daughter, who is rapidly transforming into a gangster.  The mother refuses to believe that the daughter is turning bad.

     “She is a good child”, the mother reasons, “and she is just playful. She will turn better when the time comes.”

     The time never comes.  Hope has caused her to be complacent.  Her hopes are false hopes.

     How do we know if our hopes are valid or false?  Only experience can help us tell the difference.  In the meantime, don’t lose hope.  

1. preconceived - fixed

2. dashed - destroyed

3. shunning - avoiding

4. enraged - angry

5. complacent - satisfied

6. delude - cheat