Hope and Optimism

 

Hope I get a car like this.

How does one categorize "hope"?  My last post centered on the decision to be thankful and the Holiday of Thanksgiving.  Similar to the decision to be thankful, does one decide to be hopeful?  If it is a conscience decision to be hopeful how then, does one initiate that decision?  Is hopefulness something we all have within us.  Can hopefulness be associated with a state of mind or is it situational?  What of optimism?  Is optimism a decision?  Does the decision to be optimistic go hand in hand with the decision to be hopeful?

These thoughts are not part of my normal everyday thinking.  I do not think of myself as a gloomy Gus or a Debbie downer type person but I have always help hope and optimism in check.  The main reason for handcuffing these states would be disappointment.  Why hope for sunny weather only to be let down by a  rainy day.  I cannot control the weather so why would I associate any emotion with the result?  Also, I have mistakenly associated hope and optimism with unrealistic expectations and inactivity.   Someone may say "I hope to have a big house one day".  However the person is not doing anything to save for the house.  If you are not saving money what makes you think you will ever own a big house.

Unrealistic expectations is a difficult subject.  There are a great number of people at this moment hoping for positive news.  I cannot begin to fathom how someone feels after getting a fatal diagnosis from a doctor.  The phrase used often is hoping against hope.  It has to take a great deal of strength to never give up in the face of devastating news.

How do we differentiate between hope and optimism?  Like anything we google "what is the difference between hope and optimism" an number of references are returned.  Looking at some of these sites one can make some general observations:

1. Most sites consider hope and optimism as positive states.  Both have real and measurable mental and physical benefits.
2. Most sites acknowledge that hope and optimism are different, however they seem (in my opinion) to do a poor job of describing the differences
3. Some sites list hope as a higher state of mind where as other sites list optimism as the preferred state.

I am not going to list any of the sites you can search on your own to see if you agree with my general observations.  I did find one of the sites had an easily understandable explanation for the difference between hope and optimism.  This Forbes article differentiates hope and optimism in very simple terms.  

The difference between hope and optimism, in other words, is about how we see the odds. If you think the odds are in your favor, you’re optimistic. Things will probably go how you want them to.  If the odds are against you—but there’s still a chance—you can have hope.

The picture of the car above is a good example.  I would like a car like that, however the odds of that happening are one in several trillion.  I guess I could keep on hoping.

I am not sure if this is accurate but it is quite easy to understand.  In fact I think this Forbes article diverges from what I think the real benefit of hope.  It also inconsistently associates "the odds" with hope.  The author implies that when the odds are against us (their definition of hope) that we find new and creative ways of addressing the item of hope.  This might apply to starting a business (one example given in the article).  However another example of hope given is cheering for a team that has very little hope of winning a game.  How is a fan going to change the way they support their team.  They usually just "hope" they can somehow win a particular game.

It is funny how the most trivial of comments shed the greatest light on a subject.  I am sure the Forbes author added the example of the New York Jets hope of winning a football game as a bit of filler or even comedic relief.  However, it triggered me to think deeper about hope and what is means.  Especially when one decides to hope.  Most importantly to hope against hope.  Why would I cheer for the New York Giants when they play the Dallas Cowboys.  I am well aware of the fact that the Cowboys are a much better team.  The odds of  a win for the Giants are very low.  Hope keeps me connected to my team.  Hope connects all Giants fans to each other.

Anyone with a sick friend or family member will always be hopeful.  In fact both the patient and the friend will share hope.  The exact nature of the hope is not important.  The hope does not even need to be consistent between each.   It is very difficult to imagine the true nature of a persons hope.  Family members with an ill member may hope for different things.  Some may hope for a reduction in pain and suffering while others may hope for a miraculous recovery.  It does not matter that the hopes are different, what matters is the shared state of being hopeful.   It is the fact that hope is shared that binds us together.

To not be hopeful is to live in despair.  Despair is a lonely emotion that disconnect us from each other and the world around us.  Hope is a shared emotion that binds us and connects us to each other.

Just for reference

September 10th     Dallas Cowboys 40       New York Giants 0

November 12th     Dallas Cowboys 49       New York Giants 17

Oh well, hope for the Giants chances next year.