The Double-Bind of Hope

Hope, at its heart, is a per-ception. Unlike most per-ceptions, however, this one has the possibility of creating reality. Most of the time, we think of reality as creating our perceptions. Look around you right now and notice the objects in your environment. They all exist in reality before you perceive them. But hope is a special kind of perception: it’s a perception of something that doesn’t yet exist.

According to Hope Theory, when people don’t act, it’s often because they don’t believe there is any way to achieve their goals or, if a pathway does exist, it just seems too long or difficult. But hopeful people tend to break down complex or difficult pathways into an array of smaller steps that can be tackled one at a time. They’re under no illusions that all their pathways will work, however. They understand that bad things can and often do happen. So, realising that some of their plans could become blocked, they tend to try lots of different pathways.

In other words, far from being naive positive thinking, hope is a realistic, yet forward-looking set of beliefs that drives our efforts to bring about a better future. . . Knowing the truth, even when it’s grim, does not preclude experiencing hope. . . Hope is possible even under dire circumstances.

Her hope was grounded in something more solid than mere positive thinking: there were goals worth striving for and someone who would be there to help. In life’s uncertainties, sometimes that’s the best any of us can ask for.