Is Hope Hopeless?

"I hope I can pass the test". "I hope my children grow up to have strong character traits, and compassion for others". "I hope they pull through the operation". Hope... I heard a phrase a while back that said "hope was paralyzing". Although it's been weeks since I heard this, I can't get it out of my head, and how it pertains to my own personal character.

Is it good to have hope, or is it not good? My daughter says that to have hope for unrealistic expectations is not good. It can blind a person to the reality of what really is. My research for my 10 heroes in the UBBT causes me to question what my daughter says. To hope that a one legged man could run across the country and raise thousands of dollars for cancer research may seem to many, to be an unrealistic expectation. No more than to hope that a teenage girl could lead an army of men to numerous victorious battles that would in turn change the tide of history. How sad it would be if Joan of Arc and Terry Fox lacked the hope to make a difference in the world.

To me an unrealistic expectation would be to hope that I could turn into an eagle and fly above the mountains, or go back 100 years in time. These things are never going to happen. But to hope for something that may seem impossible merely because they seem beyond human abilities of emotional and physical strength is not a bad thing. The magnitude of what one person can do with simple determination and will power is often seen as a miracle, yet they do happen.

My personal concerns are that some things I am hoping for are perhaps beyond my reach. By hoping for particular things that I want to happen and feel in my heart should happen, I fear that I may be paralyzing my future to other events that may benefit me more than what I am hoping for. Sometimes what I think is best for me, isn't really best at all, and there are better things waiting for me that I don't know about or recognize. I am worried that I may not see the forest for the trees, because my mind, my hopes, and my dreams have given me tunnel vision.

How do I find a balance? How can I set goals for the future with hopes of accomplishing them, and yet be open and aware enough to recognize other beneficial opportunities around me? Hope is an action word, so I can't just lay back and "hope" everything works out for the best. Hope involves setting goals and taking action to reach those goals. I just noticed that the pen I am writing my rough copy for this entry says, "Trust in Allah, but tie up your camel". A funny saying, but one with great meaning. I can't hope to have a safe trip, and then drive at a very high speed. I can't hope to be healthy, and then eat fast food every day.

Hope and goals go hand in hand. I can have a goal, hope to accomplish it, and then do what I can to achieve that goal. It doesn't mean that I for sure will succeed, but at least I have taken what steps I can to get results. There are so many underlying factors to the end result of our hopes, dreams and goals. One in particular is the factor of those around us. We can't always change what others think and do, and feel. Sometimes we have to find a way to work around that. Sometimes we just can't.

I had hoped that by writing this and putting my thoughts together, that I would find some answers, but my hope has failed me. How can I hope for things in the future, but recognize and be prepared for an alternative. I suppose by going one day at a time. Plan, and prepare for what I am hoping for, set goals pertaining to that, remain positive, and then do all that I can to succeed. I can try to not let my vision be tunneled, and accept what is to be, as long as I have confirmation that I no longer have control over the situation. One day at a time. That's it. If the world was without hope, it would be a world without dreams, and a world without dreams would be like a world without color.