HOPE.......the audacity for change.

The title of this piece was inspired by Barack Obama’s second book "The Audacity of Hope," which, according to him, is a phrase he heard in a sermon by his pastor; Reverend Jeremiah Wright. Reverend Wright preached on a painting that featured a woman in rags and covered in wounds. Though her harp had only one string, she made music to praise God, and Wright said it was this act that was audacious. She could have just sat there, miserable, and wished for things to get better. Instead, when there seems to be no hope, making the choice to believe that there is indeed hope, and that there is indeed a better life ahead, is what God wants for us. Obama secularized Wright's message in his campaign, and urged voters to see that with different leadership, “our own American dreams can be realized”. And no matter the situation, a person can choose hope as a means of looking toward the future.

"While there is life, there is hope." There are the exact words of the late Roman Philosopher Marcus Tullius Cicero. Indeed, hope is one of the things that keep us going in life. Without hope, there is no reason to want to stay alive. "To live without hope is to cease to live". The bible describes hope as the ‘anchor’ of our soul! (Hebrews 6:19). It is a part of us that makes our life meaningful. Our best friend that never leaves us alone; the only thing that is left when everyone is gone. Everybody needs hope. It is our best possession. Believe it or not, everything we do is based on hope. It is eternal. It opens our minds to unlimited possibilities and opportunities. It makes us infinitely believe in positive outcomes. Wikipedia defines hope as the “feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best”. Hope is the belief that circumstances in the future will be better. Hope is not a wish but an actual belief that things will get better, even when there may be no evidence that anything will change. Hope includes a wide variety of beliefs --from a high school student hoping for an A in mathematics to a cancer patient hoping for a cure. Hope is that wonderful state that dispels fear, anxiety and despair. Hope is not hype. It is a genuine belief that all will be well. It is an aspiration that the future will deliver all that is good of our dreams, our visions and our expectations. Hope provides power to our feet, clutch to our hands and determination to our hearts that no matter what we face in life will prevail.

There is nothing to do but bury a man when his hopes are gone. Losing hope usually precedes loss of life itself. It’s the one thing in your life you cannot do without. Hopelessness is the darkest place anyone can ever be in life. Take away hope and all that will be left will be despair. Hopelessness in a society precedes anarchy. Hopeless people lack the will to live. On the other hand, hopeful people are creative people. They are constant. They are the people that always get out of the woods. They don’t give up. When you are a hopeful person, you will not only get out of the woods, you are more likely to give hope to others and get them out of the woods as well.

Hope is definitely not the same thing as (blind) optimism. It is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out. Quoting Barrack Obama in one of his speech; “It's not ignoring the enormity of the task ahead or the roadblocks that stand in our path. It's not sitting on the sidelines or shirking from a fight. Hope is that thing inside us that insists, despite all evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us if we have the courage to reach for it, and to work for it, and to fight for it. Hope is the belief that destiny will not be written for us, but by us, by the men and women who are not content to settle for the world as it is, who have the courage to remake the world as it should be.”

 Indeed, Hope is an opportunity to open the gift of the present and find the faith needed for the future. That is why it is often said the people’s hopes are put in their leaders. That is why the Great Napoleon Bonarparte referred to leaders as “dealers in hope". The first and last task of a leader is to keep hope alive—the hope that we can finally find our way through to a better world—despite the day’s action, despite our own insensitivity, shallowness and uncommitted resolve. To help the people believe the impossible is possible. Truly, that is why a leader is described as “someone who can take a group of people to a place they don’t think they can go”. Hope involves being calm & joyful even in the midst of the storm, believing and knowing it will surely be bright & sunny again! It fills us with the belief that the labor of today will surely bring forth fruit tomorrow. It gives us the confidence needed to take us past the challenges that may arise or stand in our way. It is the fire that burns within, even when we appear cold outside. It sets us free from fear, doubt and failure. It is the ingredients which our dreams are made of. Hope is the foundation of all motivation. Without hope, no one could ever be motivated. It is the key that unlocks the door of discouragement. It sings when all melodies are gone. It gives us belief when the evidence is gone. Hope enables us to endure the hardships of life with courage and contentment bearing in mind that things will improve. It makes the journey becomes richer, the dreams becomes realities and today becomes forever. Let your hope arise and take you into a new and brighter season. Remember, when you chose hope, anything is possible. Have a great day. Remember to share thoughts below.