Catharine I thought I would write a little bit about hope.
What is hope, exactly? Hmm?
In the context of Christianity, faith and hope are kind of mixed up with each other. People have faith in things that are not-seen, being real things. Hope is often.. relied on as sort of a rejuvenating force behind the faith that not only do the unseen things exist, but they are also good, and also there are plans to be relied on, that “God has designed” for his people.
What does that actually mean though? For someone who is resting in that, what does it actually mean? If someone rests on the idea that “God has a plan,” what if that plan is for them to die a slow, painful death? I’m not being coy. I mean, that is what Jesus died.
Christians get told to be toxicly positive, when it comes to hope. To “rejoice in the Lord always,” so… just “choose to rejoice when the going gets tough.”
The thing is, this isn’t actually hope. It’s a decision to try to make ones’ attitude change in that moment (which… many people spend a great deal of time in therapy attempting to undo the negative effects of.. but. anyway).
The point I am saying is that that is not hope.
I am an optimistic person, by nature. I see the sunny side, by default. It’s just how I’m wired. I’m not choosing to rejoice.. ever. If I find myself choosing to rejoice, I’ve reverted to a status of robot, a status of obeying, and am inauthentic and untrue to myself and how I actually feel.
This is what gives me hope, and what the word is actually defined as, to me: knowledge that we have power over a lot. Not everything, but a lot. Knowledge that people can work together to solve problems. They don’t have to, it doesn’t happen by magic, but it’s possible. Knowledge that humans are evolving in a direction that places higher value on educating all people, higher value on mental health support, and that people are increasingly emboldened to stand up for those who are marginalized. That’s simply how culture is changing, for the better.
And personally.. I have hope because as long as time continues forward, there will be opportunities. Opportunities for good, opportunities for bad, opportunities to sit still, stare into space, all of the above. I have no expectation other than that, if I remain alive, time will pass, and there will be something in front of me, as long as my brain functions. Something that I can choose one way or the other about. My body might keep functioning in most ways, or any number of things could go wrong and keep my body from functioning. There is no way to predict any single future event.
I have hope because as long as there is choice, power will continue to exist. And as long as there is time, and brain function with cognitive awareness- eyeballs that can move to communicate, even, via technology- there will be choice. There will be an ability to communicate love to other people. Any number of things might be possible.
Anyway that’s where my hope comes from. Knowing that as long as there are choices, no matter how small they are, there will be an opportunity to choose what aligns with what I care about. And this will be true in every circumstance. Love is always possible. As long as communication of any kind exists, there will be capacity for the greatest thing any of us feel or do.
I’ve heard stories of people unable to move, who only squeeze someone’s hand. Even that gives me hope. People write books about being the recipient of a hand squeeze.
Nonverbal communication/ nontypical communication will only grow with tech.
What do you think?
