Hope: finding light in darkness

Hope is a precarious thing. It balances on the head of a pin ready to topple at the whiff of a breeze. It’s a stealthy bastard, creeping under the door along with the sun’s first blush, then just as likely to scamper and hide in the harshness of the midday light, or just when you believe another day navigated against the buffeting tides, it punches you in the chest. A boxer’s blow thrown against an unsuspecting opponent.
 
For those who don’t know, my husband was diagnosed with cancer last fall. For months, hospitals and emergency rooms became our world. Helplessly, I watched him suffer, while my sense of hope fluttered tenuously in and out, like an insect both repelled by and attracted to the light.

On a grander scale, the times we live in couldn't be more frightening. It's all too easy to feel defeated as we bear witness to unpredictable, volatile political upheaval. Hope is hard to find. I’ve been reflecting on the concept of hope, both as an abstract notion and as a practical application in life.
 
Although hope is often conflated with optimism, there are subtle yet significant differences between them. Optimism is largely passive, an inclination towards expecting positive outcomes. While optimism can contribute to health and happiness, it can sometimes leave us feeling as if we're simply waiting for good fortune to come our way.
 
Hope, in contrast, is an active, intentional focus on working toward a future that is both challenging and achievable. It’s about recognizing possibilities — even those that seem faint — and taking steps, both individually and collectively, to turn those possibilities into reality, empowering you with the conviction that your actions can create a more favorable future. Hope is a vital force, motivating you to act intentionally toward achieving your goals. It encourages the exploration of new opportunities, making informed decisions, and adapting to change.
 
In literature, hope tends to center on the belief that positive change— either individual or societal change—can or will occur. Hope is an exceptionally common theme in literary works for several reasons. The theme of hope directly addresses one of the foremost characteristics of human experiences: anxiety about the uncertainty of the future.
 
Furthermore, many literary works have plot events spurred on by characters that pursue something they want. Hope of attaining a goal is thus a central part of almost any traditionally structured novel or play. Holding onto hope when confronting seemingly impossible odds is another important theme in many texts; hope in these cases may be closely related to faith in human nature, faith in oneself, or religious or spiritual faith. Additionally, hope can be both an emotional state and also a perspective on reality; as the latter, hope is an example of how a worldview can shape one’s actions, often in profound and life-affirming ways. In Greek mythology, “hope” is part of the story of Pandora’s box.
 
After Prometheus stole fire from the gods and gave it to humans, Zeus gave Pandora as a “gift” to Prometheus’s brother, but she was actually a punishment for Prometheus’s crime. Out of curiosity, Pandora opens a box (or jar) containing all the world’s evils—disease, envy, vengeance, and more—and thereby lets them loose upon the human race. Evil spreads throughout the world, but Pandora manages to close the lid before the last one—Hope—escapes. The myth provides an explanation of why hope remains even when all other ills seem to be insurmountable. Some versions also suggest that Hope was by far the most important to keep in the box; if Hope escaped from human possession, human beings would have no way to cope with all the other ills, because without hope human existence would be unbearable.
 
Hope fundamentally depends on the ability to see beyond the present circumstances. As tenuous as it may sometimes be, it’s comforting to me to read writing that explores the human capacity to believe in a better future, even amidst adversity. Hope in literature serves as a reminder of the human spirit's capacity to find light in darkness and to persevere in the face of adversity, offering solace, inspiration, and a belief in the possibility of a better future. It can serve as a beacon of light in our own moments of darkness to remind us that anything is possible.

Thanks friends for following my thoughts and writing. Here's to great books that help us along this crazy journey of life.
And in the meantime, happy reading!
Joni