Hope or Something like it

Margaret Weis believed that, “"Hope is the denial of reality." It is the pursuit for something that we believe has value, yet consequently in the end we being faced with reality can never attain that object of pursuit, we fail. Yet, again and again, we live by this senseless drive toward an expectation or a goal that we cannot meet. We are filled with this sense of optimism that leads men and women to dare to dream, a dream that encourages us to constantly attempt and to forge on, regardless of the impossible nature of the task and ignoring the continuous failures of the past. Therefore why do we not simply give up? Is it really worth it, to get our hopes up yet knowing the hurt of crashing down on reality? And finally, where does this hope, this dream come from? I believe that the pursuit toward that endless dream is driven by a passion that is innate in us. We are led to hope and to pursue the impossible simply because it is impossible. Therefore we are led to idolize the very things that are forbidden and unattainable from us. We want what we simply cannot have. Yet another factor or term of hope is faith. Faith is a belief in God where the things that we need and the things that God believes is right for our life will be provided. Where as Christians we all follow a path, a way of life that is paved by God and he himself sees the things we need and those we do not. I have met incredible people filled with faith and passion in believing that God will heal and that God will provide. An old teacher of mine who I recently visited was found sick with Cancer. She is a strong and passionate woman that is filled with an incredible faith in God. She believes that she will endure that God will save her. When I see her current condition, I question how can a woman that faces such harsh realities have faith and hope? To be faced with such overwhelming odds and to feel so much pain yet, still have the sense to believe? Then I realize that in a state of this condition, hope is all we have. That in the midst of failure and in enduring situations we can only be driven to faith, to hope. Therefore I am simply saying that hope is not a weakness, but rather it is a strength. To live by faith is to live knowing that there are better days and that our future regardless of current problems exists with a brighter future lit by a paved path.

1 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yo dog,
I read your site, and am impressed with your writing and your thoughts. Serious philosophy. Although I may not share your views on religion filling that sense of hope, I like the spiritual thought process that led you to that point. One criticism, its a little dark, although the ending is positive. I want to see some happy thoughts up there. Its a really cool idea to put your thoughts down onto paper, or the internet in this case. Hope you get the same satisfaction from it as i do, almost like a weight off your chest you never knew was there to begin with. Why dont you start taking some philosophy classes, you might really enjoy them. That is what i try and do out here, makes class facinating and enjoyable. Alot of guys call that drive you were talking about, towards an impossible goal, an "endless striving." Well, hope you get this post, drop me a line sometime, I'll let you in on this new surfing lifestyle im living out here on the east coast.