Essay on Hope

Let me first start by saying I'm human, and thus i fall prey to Hope. In fact, hope is such a common companion in everything. I hope for good weather, I hope for a nice day, I hope for a friend. But... I really have mixed feelings about Hope.

Hope is the only good god remaining among mankind;
the others have left and gone to Olympus.
-Theognis of Megara

The above talks about the pithos Pandora opened, leaving only Hope. But how true is that? How good is Hope? Hope the Great Motivator. Hope the Great Illusionist. Which is stronger? Someone told me without Hope, life is meaningless. This really stunned me. Maybe because I never saw Hope as all important, maybe i saw Hope in different light.

I'm sure people would tell me about the exhilaration they get when they get something after hoping for so long. Because of the long wait, because of the anticipation, maybe because of the determined wait, the triumph in the end is sweet. However, how much of this triumph due to Hope? Would the triumph come even if you have not hoped? Maybe you'll tell me that although the triumph would come, but the sweetness would not. Maybe it's true, but is it worth it?

As Hope the Great Motivator can bring sweetness, conversely, Hope the Great Illusionist can bring suffering.

Again, I say I'm sure we all have things we hoped for, hope beyond hope, but never attain. Then, aren't we clinging on to something that probably not meant to be ours? All that wait, all that constant hoping, is ultimately bringing nothing but pain. Pain in the form of waiting, pain in the form of anticipation, pain in the form of worry, pain in the form of disappointment. Do we really want to bring ourselves through all these?

The greatest bane of us humans, is the ability to think ahead, but yet, the disability to know of the future.

That is where Hope attacks. Because we know nothing of the future, we can only hope. Hope promises us whatever we wish for, happiness, love, success. Promises, that some are fulfilled, some are broken. But we don't blame Hope. We merely say: " Don't give up, it will come. Maybe not now, but if we hope, it will come." Tell me, isn't that Hope in the form of Denial?

How different is Hope from a gamble, Hope from luck, Hope from denial, and Hope from illusion?

As I mentioned, someone told me Hope is essential for the meaning of life in us. Sure, in Hope, we can force ourselves to wake up everyday, telling ourselves "Today is The day". The day something great will happen to us. But is this the meaning we want? A meaning built on so weak a foundation. Having said that, I cannot deny I haven't found a meaning in life. However, Hope is not something I see myself believing fully in.

I do not like being a prey to Hope the Great Illusionist. Sadly, I cannot only embrace Hope the Great Motivator without also embracing his other half. So I try to distance myself. Is it really impossible to live with as little Hope as possible?