Contemplating hope 1

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Back in the days when we could, a few of us were lingering over a meal, and the conversation turned to the notion of hope. 

Some eschewed it as emotional pablum that blinkers the truth of the world. Others described it as a fleeting emotion unworthy of traction. Me? I rather liked the idea of it, and I’ve been noodling on the controversy of hope ever since. 

To hope. To wish. To dream. To desire: The meaning of these different words puts them all in relationship to each other, for they all point to a feeling or aspiration for something that is not yet in hand. 

If we can see that thing in our mind’s eye, then what better way of getting it in hand than by acknowledging it and articulating our hope (dream, wish, desire) for it.  

Now, sitting on the sofa eating bonbons won’t bring it to us. Action of one kind or another is needed. So hope alone is not the answer. But combine a sense of hope with a commitment to act, and I think you might find yourself closer to where (or who or how) you’re wanting to be. 

To be continued… 


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A Post a Day in May No. 7: For the past two years, I have posted something to this blog every single day in May. This year, I hope to do it again. 


Photo by Dustin Humes on Unsplash



Comments

  1. AnnMay 7, 2021 at 7:22 AM

    I'm reading this just after watching an interview with Michelle Obama on CBS. I caught only a couple minutes but she said something so wise, something knew but had never put into words, and it did give me hope.

    Paraphrasing, what she said was that those BLM kids didn't WANT to be out there in the streets protesting, that no black Americans did. But they Had to. They had to do something to stop the danger they all lived in. And they had hope.

    I look forward to tomorrow, when I hope we can continue this dialogue!

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