Why we need to think about hope
“Hope is the most evil of evils because it prolongs man's torment.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
There are some smart people who are against hope. For them it’s a destructive force in the world that we’d be better off without.
The last few years have been uncertain and tough, and young people in particular are losing a sense of hope for the future. Should we abandon hope, or is it the very thing we need to help inspire us towards creating better lives for everyone?
In a previous post, I mentioned I’d read 4000 Weeks by Oliver Burkeman. It’s a brilliant book that has the power to change your life. One of his core messages concerned me, however. Burkeman thinks hope is a curse and that it stands in the way of taking action to address the problems we face. He writes that having hope means “disavowing your own capacity to change things”.
I can relate to Burkeman’s cynicism. I used to think happy, hopeful people just didn’t get it. I was also clinically depressed. These days, I’d describe myself as a pragmatic optimist, and consider hope as one of the motivating and enlivening forces in my life. It’s pulled me out of some dark times.
Aside from the evidence of my own life, the psychological construct of hope has been linked to:
So why is there a mistrust around hope? Perhaps it comes down to semantics.
Those against hope most likely view it as wishful thinking. As a passive hoping for the best, regardless of the situation.
The most prolific researcher on hope, C .R. Snyder sees it differently. He describes it as the “sum of willpower and waypower that you have for your goals”. For Snyder, hope involves three components – goal-setting, devising multiple possible pathways to your goals, and a high degree of agency to draw on.
Esteemed research professor Brené Brown agrees. For her, “Hope is a combination of setting goals, having the tenacity and perseverance to pursue them, and believing in our own abilities.”
Studies show that by setting goals, coming up with a range of potential ways to achieve them, breaking them down into achievable milestones, identifying potential obstacles (internal and external), planning ways to overcome those obstacles, having a growth mindset as you face challenges on route to your goal, and always being clear on your next step, are ways to train your mind to be more hopeful.
But this take on hope, the one most referred to in the psychological literature, doesn’t capture its essence.
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I think something is missing. It feels too mechanical. When I think of hope, I don’t reduce it down to our capacity to set goals and move effectively towards them. It can definitely help us move forward in life, but it’s what we’re hoping for that matters.
If I hope to be a ruthless leader who gets the job done, regardless of the impact on others, then that hope doesn’t count for much in my book.
If I hope that I can burn the candle at both ends day in and day out without ruining my health, then that hope seems foolish.?
If I hope that other people will fix the climate crisis, then that hope is destructive.
To me, hope must be combined with wisdom, compassion, courage and responsibility. If not, then I may even find myself in Nietzsche’s camp.
The hope I believe in doesn’t exclude those things. It also doesn’t exclude fear. Hope and fear are two sides of the same coin. It's essential we see the problems, the suffering, and fear what will happen if things don’t change.
To choose hope in the face of that fear means believing in and connecting with something greater than yourself – humanity, love, purpose, God, the Universe, whatever is meaningful for you – and finding strength in that. It’s choosing to do what you can to move forwards in a way that affirms what is good, true and beautiful in yourself and the world.
I recognise that our life experiences will influence how we feel about and view our lives. But these life scripts are always perspectives. They’re not set in stone and we have the power to change them.?
Hope, a beacon of light in the dark, is a perspective we can choose to take, or not.
References
Co-Owner @ Compendia | Head of Partnerships @ Talk Club | Father of boys & Compassionate Coach
2 年Thanks a lot for sharing Steve Peralta - certainly an interesting one to think about in the current times as well as looking forward (climate crisis), though I’m in agreement with you. Hope is not a passive tool, it’s one that can be used to deliver positive action, guiding us in the right direction (not blindly). Whilst I can’t say I’ve done a huge amount of it, I’d love to to hear your thoughts on the practice of ‘future self journaling’ most notably prescribed by Dr. Nicole LePera , which to me puts into practice the best bits of the goal setting in a way that still captures an element of hopefulness rather than getting bogged down / seeming too pragmatic. What do you think? https://theholisticpsychologist.com/future-self-journaling/