Saturday, April 18, 2009

HOPE

Hope. It's all that I have.
The calm in the storm. It's right where I am.
- We Shot the Moon (Hope)

Hope appears to be such a positive sentiment, right? We all want to have hope.

But hope has a downside....

When you think about it, hope is based on a sense of lack. We hope for something better. So that would mean what we have now isn't good. Hope can only exist with a negative perception of the present. How's that for a paradox?

And, yes, at least hope is an optimistic take on the future, but it's still future-focused. Which means it's not real. All that is real is right now. So instead of hoping for a better tomorrow, find hope in the moment. Right now.

That's not to say we shouldn't strive for better things. Just don't pin your hopes on the future. It's all relative, after all. What we hope for today may not be what we want tomorrow.  (Be careful what you wish for.)

True hope springs eternal in the present moment, not the future. If you spend all your time staring at the horizon, you'll miss the flowers right in front of you (and may trip over a big rock).

Hope and fear are both phantoms
That arise from thinking of the self. (v. 13)

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