The Paralysis of 'Hope'

That's nice... So what're you going to do about it?

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that having hope can be a dangerous thing. While I know you're thinking that hope can bring many wonderful things to individuals as well as the masses, what does it really provide?

Having been drilled into our psyches as a functionally beneficial part of human existence, this morning I had the realization that maybe I don't entirely understand how hope functions in my life. And oddly enough, it was a misplaced pair of sunglasses (for the 3rd time), that catalyzed this internal debate since I'm still hoping that they'll show up around my house.

...but now you're probably lost so let me tease that out a bit.

In 2008, the world rallied around then D-Sen. (Ill) Barack Obama. With promises of hope and change, he convinced the public that there were brighter days ahead for America and the world.

Problem 1: Hope and change were neither promised nor guaranteed
Problem 2: This message was interpreted as an outcome and not a process.

It's no wonder so many (Obama supporters) are upset with this President. They thought that they could do nothing and a better life would just show up on their doorstep!

Tangentially, if we evaluate the role of hope in our own lives, we often don't realize that it leads to a similar form of paralysis.

In the name of this noble concept veiled in optimism, hope allows us to justify inactivity and idleness. For most of us (and if you don't think it's you just look at your friend circles), hope translates to "waiting for the best possible outcome". You may not believe it, but hope is a great mechanism to make people wait for something, while they do nothing. Don't believe me? Let's run a few familiar scenarios.

Scenario 1: Holding out hope for a relationship that will never materialize and wasting months of your life in constant craving--all the while doing nothing and waiting for something to magically change. 

Scenario 2: Holding out for that dream job--only to stop applying for other positions. 

Scenario 3: Hoping that whoever you pray to will answer those prayers--all the while not putting in the work yourself to get there. (e.g. God helps those who help themselves.)

A whole lotta hoping; not a lotta doing.

Basically, hope trains us to pursue our dreams, only for us to stop short and ask our dreams to meet us half way.

So sure, I know I sound pretty cynical, but at the end of the day having hope in/for something should trigger acknowledgement that there are work requirements to get there.

Hahaha so I'll bring this full circle (and back to more shallow waters) and say that after searching high and low, I'm committing myself to giving up hope on ever seeing my sunglasses again. Besides, the sooner I let go of that hope, the sooner I can move on with my life.