On Hope

     Hope is a paradox. In one instance, it is a motivator - an energizer. However, if one does not obtain that which was hoped for, it can be quite the downer. The severity of the let-down is greatly dependent on how much stock we have placed in that hope - the direction of which lies our point of concern. Nevertheless, when we instill hope amongst our people, we give them something to latch onto. Hope attracts.

    Hope does not provide the oxygen to our lungs. It does not heal our wounds. Hope doesn't satiate our hunger. Yet, it encourages us to keep going, to keep fighting, and to stay above ground. When I have hope, I am aware of that which I hope for - if my hope be directed towards anything particular, that is. We place our hope in the future, in people, in possibilities. Possibilities are endless. 

    One point in the space-time continuum can alter our course at any given time. Any decision made from ourselves, those on the same road as us, those we meet along the way who impact our direction in even the slightest way, or any of the numerous obstacles scattered along our Path greatly affects our outcomes. Our patience on our Path is greatly determined by the amount of Hope we have. But, how much do we humble ourselves to that Hope? Do we drive it? Does it drive us?

    The measure of stock I put in the hope of some outcome can greatly determine my attitude towards that outcome (dependent upon whether that outcome has been achieved in my favor or not). There is no guarantee in anything, really. As they say, tomorrow is not even promised, but I can at least hope that I will see the sun again. Let me walk that back a smidge: there is a guarantee, I do suppose. That guarantee is the nature of my commitment which I offer to my world. Much is determined by my actions or non-actions and the feedback I receive.

    If I don't acquire that which I hope for, what then? Shall I wait my whole life for it? Shall I adjust my aim? What if it never comes to me? Is that a knock on my abilities? Am I less than? If I spiral into dejection, I lose sight of hope. And, perhaps, instead of relying on hope, I might instead attempt to force the outcome. Who and what will be effected by that? Do I care? I would prefer the most stable path wherein I don't inadvertently create new unnecessary obstacles along my way. I would prefer the path of least resistance to my hoped for outcome and, moreover, I would prefer an outcome imbued with longevity.

    What if I obtain that outcome? New obstacles will always emerge. Or, perhaps, the outcome isn't precisely what I hoped for. Or, perhaps, the nuances of that outcome are not all quite what I had imagined at the start. Regardless, if I obtained it, I obtained it. And I shall mark it down as an achievement as a reminder that not all is hopeless. Trees, rocks, and ultimately distance shroud the winding path from those points of interest which are now relics of my past. It is up to me to decide whether anything I have achieved is worth that hope I placed in it. Although, anything I have not yet achieved, I must grant time to. 

    I certainly wouldn't want to add to my problems by being my own problem as well. That cycle is a death trap that one can easily be caught up in. Such cycles can last days, weeks, or  years - or even a whole lifetime if we aren't careful. And that's what mindfulness is all about - being careful as we move ever and anon into the future (not too careful to withhold our participation in life but careful enough to not be reckless with it).

    But to understand the magnanimity of hope is to let go for just a moment and see just what hope can do. When I project my hope out into my world, those in my orbit have the potential to be influenced by it. Who has not been influenced by the hope of others wherever that hope may be directed? Hope attracts. It is ... infectious. This is how charismatic influencers seduce others - or even deceive others. For, with enough verve, hope so often bypasses the realm of of Logic and reaches the depths of the mind, tugging on the heartstrings of whoever receives it even if that hope delivers nothing of substance save for hope itself.

    To avoid being swayed so much by the whims of others, one does well to be cautious when it comes to placing hope in any want. Any place you traverse, there's always somebody ready to sell something to you and me. It all amounts to what you value in your life as to what you attach yourself to. But, to really see the inner workings of something like hope, one does well to detach themselves from all the feelings that pull them one way or another. And, in this way, one can see Hope for hope's sake.

    Hope is in Time and Time is in Hope. Hope like Being & Time is a concept derived from the Mind. Hope is an abstraction and a calculation. I can see that my cat is hoping to catch that mouse but whether that cat perceives anything relative to Hope, I can never be certain. Yet, Hope, I understand a priori. Hope is not perceived out there. The comprehension thereof is found in the process of hoping and in whether or not that hope is fulfilled. But one only perceives Hope in the abstract when one comprehends the abstraction within Hope. That ... is when one no longer has an aim for their hope and just ... hopes.

    How can somebody possess Hope without having something to hope for? Is that possible? Hope in Nothing? Is that a thing? Hope for Hope's sake? Paradoxically, I can Hope that things will play out as they should. That the Path I trod leads ever and anon into unknown. A sort of directionless direction. And, as I walk along my way in this manner, I can be grateful for anything that does present itself to me, yes; but moreover, my hope is freed up for others! In having no other aim and being content in the here & now, I take better notice of the Path beneath my feet and learn to have appreciation for all things. And, thus, hoping gives way to hope fulfilled in the flesh.

    I take all my past hopes and see how they culminate into the Now which I am and analyze them to determine how the course I am on shall lead in the future. One need not be religious to count their blessings. A blessing need not be a gift from some Higher Being, per se, but can be my acceptance of THIS MOMENT! By my acceptance and by my contentment, I am already a Higher Being than the "I" which focuses on all my failures. This frame of mind leaves me open and available.

    Being Open is the fulfillment of Hope. Being Open makes the one who is Open available. Being closed prevents real contact with one's environment and obfuscates one's awareness of Reality. Obfuscated reality leaves wiggle room for those aforementioned charismatic influencers to entice their adherents with some appearance of things that are not the things themselves. To be Open to Reality allows for space to see the thing within the thing within the thing - like a Russian nesting doll. And thus, Hope is fulfilled.

    In a world devoid of Hope by appearances, when you walk openly with a free kind of Hope, you transcend appearances and bring that very thing that at first sight was lacking - without being entangled in all the fears and desires that move the world in the first place. To transcend fear and desire is to achieve a Divine Hope. And that kind of hope is what is only witnessed by one's attainment of it which is only realized in the letting go and in the simplicity of letting be. When you let it be, you let yourself be; and in that, you are truly free.