Hope is a central tenet of life.  It drives us, binds us, gives us purpose.

Dictionary.com defines hope thus:

noun

1. the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best: to give up hope.

2. a particular instance of this feeling: the hope of winning.

3. grounds for this feeling in a particular instance: There is little or no hope of his recovery.

4. a person or thing in which expectations are centered: The medicine was her last hope.

5. something that is hoped for: Her forgiveness is my constant hope.

verb (used with object)

6. to look forward to with desire and reasonable confidence.

7. to believe, desire, or trust: I hope that my work will be satisfactory.

verb (used without object)

8. to feel that something desired may happen: We hope for an early spring.

9. Archaic. to place trust; rely (usually followed by in  ).

No other creature on this planet, to our knowledge, has the ability to feel hope.  This uniquely human expression is an incredible wonder of the wondrous world.

Hope is multiple parts of speech, and hard to define.  But it is often hope that drives us.  It is hope the keeps us from despairing when odds are not in our favor, when times are hard, or when we cannot see the light in the darkness.

Hope is often that spark that keeps the flame from dying out.  It is in the emotion of hope that we hold on that our desire will manifest; it is in hope that we hold against the storm, that we weather the bad times for the good.

Some people take no action, and hope for hope alone.  They want some other, or the universe, or the unseen powers-that-be to take care of them, to bring about what they want and desire, to make their way.  But hope, while it can stand alone, often needs to have something more substantive to move from nothing but an ideal to a possibility.

Many of the greatest minds in history have remarked on the importance of hope.  Albert Einstein said, “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.”  Fyodor Dostoevsky said, “To live without Hope is to Cease to live.”  And I think Aristotle sums it up best with his, “Hope is the dream of a waking man.”

Songs and stories of hope abound.  We are warned that to hope, but to do so without effort, without a tangible desire, does not serve us or a greater good.  Hope needs action, needs presence behind it.  But hope for the most part is a grand and glorious thing.

Hope.  A true wonder of our wondrous world.

What do you hope for?

I am MJ Blehart, writer and photographer of “Wednesday’s Wondrous World”.  Every week I share a magical wonder of this amazing world, and I hope you will enjoy the journey with me!

Check out my blog, The Ramblings of a Titanium Don, for more of my work.

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