Daily Cascade

Hope

Prompt: Hope
“Hope is a tease, designed to prevent us accepting reality.”
Maggie Smith in Downton Abbey
In what ways do you think hope can or cannot help us to accept reality? Or is hope a totally empty thing, used only to dull the pain?

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So like Maggie Smith to say such a cynical thing about hope! Isn't hope a positive, empowering force, instead of a manipulative one that keeps us from facing the truth of our or any circumstances? I dare ask.

On the other hand, we hold onto hope, and it promises us a better future. Then what if that future doesn't happen? In this sense, hope prevents us from accepting a harsh reality.

Still, I think hope is a source of strength in the worst of times and circumstances. Without hope, we'd succumb into melancholy and despair and wouldn't have the energy to move forward. Then, it may just be possible that the culprit here isn't the hope, false or helpful, but our relationship with hope. If we let hope prevent us to see the truth, we lose and lose big; however, if we balance it with realism, hope then becomes an important ally for us in our quest of a fulfilling life.

To me, therefore, hope is a lifesaver thrown at me when and if I am drowning. I'd rather hang on to that lifesaver than lose big time.