The Pathology of Hope

Idealism is what precedes experience; cynicism is what follows. – [David T. Wolf]

Perhaps the following extract from an article titled Pathologies of Hope by Barbara Ehrenreich I stumbled upon on a skeptics blog (though originally in Harpers Magazine) is useful to consider in the light of some of the issues raised until now.

Admittedly this quote definitely is on the too cynical side, though it nevertheless raises a crucial question.

If one is faced with a bleak forecast, what is more productive: seeking a constructive course of action that would get one out of that circumstance and be weary of all the potential dangers ahead; or to immerse oneself in the illusion that one’s salvation will happen of its own accord?

To indirectly answer this question, it usually is the case that those who are the most jaded and cynical amongst humanity, more than likely at some point in their life were of the most optimistic and enthusiastic about the prospects for their life. And in particular, those who once had unwavering faith that their fellowmen will with open arms welcome their creative endeavors. It’s not that most people are bad or even have negative intent. Indeed it is not so, but one’s optimism often becomes a magnet for the leaches of humanity, who because of one’s naivety, may purposefully seek us out.

Hence the reality is that life very often plays itself out in the exact opposite way as that proposed by “The Law of Attraction”. Because of this, as time wears on and we experience the indifference and opportunism of others, one likely will perceive the world as largely uncaring to one’s dreams and ideals. That is other than how they can directly benefit from us.

Consequently the sooner we learn that it is incumbent on us within the limits of our own power, to do whatever we personally can to bring our dreams to fruition, the more successful we likely will become.

To this history attests that many of the greatest achievements of the world were accomplished by tired and discouraged men who simply kept on working (quote by unknown author).

Thus by all means aspire to become rich, but don’t think you can fool the universe into giving you a head start. The bottom line is that if this is what you truly wish for, you’re going to have to do it the old-fashioned way — by earning it through your intellect, cunning, resourcefulness, sacrifice, compassion, endurance and sweat and tears, as opposed to merely setting out with a hope and a prayer — to even stand a remote chance of doing so.

In other words, by not having any delusions about what such an ambition requires of you.

Nevertheless, irrespective of the circumstance, the ability to muster a positive attitude despite the odds always is more beneficial than being in a state of despair and hopelessness. That’s beneficially mentally, but also in what may actually transpire.

That is notwithstanding that one may very well be deluding oneself.

Most Precious Gift

Hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out. – [Vaclav Havel]

Perhaps I’m putting too demanding a requirement on a word which to many embodies a very special place of solace away from their respective humdrum, tumultuous or demanding lives. That there at  least is an imaginary semblance—even if it is a mere chance—that their world may yet be better than the limitations they may currently feel themselves confined in.  

At this point it is important to take a mental pause and stop to reflect on the following for a while.

It is imperative to grasp that I’m not arguing that hope in-and-of-its-own is a pathology, for that it certainly is not.

Rather, that hope in isolation or hope that has no foundation, can be extremely counterproductive, even pathological, in the long run when one bases much of the intended outcomes one wishes to achieve for one’s future largely on it.

In fact the absence of hope is reflective of how well one had prepared for any eventuality that may lie ahead.

As such the dividing line between delusion (and therefore one’s sanity) is drawn very fine indeed if hope is the overwhelming factor one had harnessed for one’s possible success.  

In this regard this insightful comment by poet David Jimenez from a discussion on my blog, provides a very useful perspective.

What is critical to grasp from The Pathology of Hope is that hopefulness is not necessarily about achieving results, but rather about the ability to pick oneself up from any state of destitution, and to still stay the required course regardless of impending hardships along the way. Therefore that it is not the mere façade of groundless positivity.

However the paradox of hope is that, whenever one is confronted by circumstances where there is a near impossible situation to overcome and where there truly ought to be no hope, hopefulness is all we may have to carry us through to the other side. For then, all we truly do have is nothing but hope.  

One must also guard against false hope or hope for hope sake as this is the single greatest destroyer of sanity, even more so than hopelessness itself. This is because hopefulness in-and-of-its own can be a form of seeking a release from reality, or a virtual resignation to the impossibility of the circumstance of the moment, and thus an abdication of one’s power to forces that are not in one’s ambit of control.

As mentioned before, not that such acceptance is a bad thing per se, particularly when one really does not have power over a particular circumstance. On the counter side though, is that for a death row inmate having no realistic chance of a release, having hope which invariably would be dashed, in all likelihood, would become the ultimate psychological death sentence. In this case the most prudent course is a virtual resignation, an acceptance, of one’s inevitable fate. That is, unless he is actively working on an escape which in this case would not be such a bad preoccupation.

Admittedly, as aspirational forces faith, hope and belief are our greatest motivators that at times can inspire us to superhuman achievement. But as CNN journalist Anderson Cooper once said in the wake of the resulting confusion of the Hurricane Katrina disaster that: Hope is not a plan.  Or the Arab saying: Pray to Allah, but tie your camel anyway.

In this is the all important lesson.

It is that hope and belief has power because of the motivational energy it allows us to muster. Not that it creates the reality we want merely by hoping and believing it so.

This dangerous notion, however, is exactly what The Secret preys on through the purveyance of its unscrupulous religion. That the hopefulness of the vulnerable, the ill befated, the sick, the destitute, the desperate, but more often than not, simply the lazy and greedy, places them at great risk of such potential exploitation.

It therefore is incumbent on us to consciously guard against this omnipresent scourge, not to be sucked (or suckered) into its delusional web of deceit.

It therefore is far more beneficial to our sanity to be skeptical and cynical about these matters than to become uncritically enamored by them. 

For us to grow to full mental and emotional maturity, a delicate middle ground must be sought. This requires the recognition that the only single thing in all reality we are truly fully responsible for, is our sanity.

For this reason we must be cognizant that our state of mental health is more precious to preserve than anything else we could ever hope for, desire or possess.

From Scourge: The Demise of Critical Thinking in the Age of “The Secret”