A Brief History of Hope (with thoughts for the New Year)

Many people have expressed feelings of hopelessness since the results of the November 8^th election. (I confess that in spite of relative good fortune, I too, have succumbed to this sorry state.

But hopelessness is not a happy or productive mindset; the negative feeling ensnares us in an ever-deepening rut from which it becomes difficult to escape. By contrast, hope energizes us to find solutions.

Writing this blog has helped me, and of course, I hope you readers find it useful too.

I’ve pondered the matter by thinking about people who have found themselves in  dire situations. Adam and Eve came to mind. Imagine falling from bliss to our treacherous earth! How could they possibly right themselves? Well, of course they didn’t keep a journal or if they did, we haven’t yet found it.

However, several centuries ago, the great English poet John Milton (1608-74) pondered the predicament of the unfortunate couple. He suggests a mindset that may have helped the unfortunate couple process their loss. In Paradise Lost,

He writes,

The mind is its own place, and in itself

Can make a heav’n of hell, a hell of heav’n.

In other words, Milton understood the amazing power of the human mind to reframe a drastic situation, to render it bearable, or even beyond, to transform it to its opposite.

Then I thought of Dr. Viktor Frankl (1905-97) who survived imprisonment in the concentration camps in Nazi Germany.   In Man’s Search for Meaning, he writes, “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” He continues, “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”

He found the strength to fight to stay alive and maintain hope by thinking of the love he had for his wife. Love is a sustaining force. In his 1990 seminal book Love and its Place in Nature, Jonathan Lear elaborates on the theme of love for a person (or people), places and things (like music and art). Love goes far in opening avenues of hope.

Taking action is another method that can lead us from the darkness of hopelessness into the light of hope. For example, Mr. G.,  phoned his state representative to voice his complaint about Congress’s intention to disband its independent ethics committee. Indeed, according to the news, many others acted similarly and changed the outcome.

Here are some suggestions that I’ve found helpful in combating hopelessness:

Meditate

Choose advisers carefully.

Capitalize on luck.

Dismiss the naysayers.

Focus on positive dreams.

Transform negative to positive thinking.

Work to turn a loss to an advantage.

Take action.

Physical exercise (boosts endorphins).

Conclusion: We can rescue ourselves from the deepening rut of hopelessness through loving and taking action.

Dear Reader: I look forward to your responses.

jsimon145@gmail.com