The necessity of Hope
"He who has a why to live can bear almost any how"
Once gone, the will to live seldom returns. Many people “die” even before they pass away. They die from a lack of hope, a lack of something to live for. Trudging through life no longer embracing or affirming it, only passing time until their eventual demise. Existence is full of suffering and non-consequential tragedy. It can easily push you into the abyss of despair if you let it. But, despite the hardships life presents, you can endure the suffering.
No, I take that back, if you arm yourself with hope you can actively embrace life in the face of its horrors. You can love life for all it is, good and bad. You can actually live your life rather than just endure it. Life is not a quest for power nor pleasure, but a quest for meaning. The greatest task for any person is to find meaning in his or her life. Because "He who has a why to live can bear almost any how" (Nietzche)
Lasting pleasure is found in meaningful pursuits
Victor Frankel believed meaning can be found in love, courage and our work. So what would this look like?
Meaning can be found in the altruistic love you have for your loved ones and significant others and even self love.
Meaning can be found in the pursuit of your passions and life’s work.
Meaning can be found in the virtue of courage, to do what is right in difficult times
But what about those who don't have meaning in their lives yet. No loved ones, no love of self, no aim or purpose, and no courage to be found. What about the ones who feel lost, the ones who feel forgotten. Well, it's understandable to give into despair, resign from the world and to let yourself wither into the abyss. Yes, suffering in and of itself is meaningless, but even so, there is still a cure for your despair and world wariness. And that is hope! Because it is us who imbues meaning into our suffering. And it is us that can transmute the horrors of suffering into something constructive, even beautiful.
How?
Through hope we can give our suffering meaning. We have the power to choose the way we respond to suffering, thus giving us control in life. We have the power to choose hope and optimism, even in our darkest times. For even in the most horrible circumstances there you can always find something of value in that experience, be it for ultimately/eventually helping yourself or others. The antidote to your despair is hope. Hope is the fuel to your inner strength that will raise you above your outward fate of suffering.
- Hope is the/that inner strength that allows to believe you are worthy of love and having hope will guide you in finding your people and a significant other to share your life with
- Hope is the/that inner strength that, even if you feel lost, you know that through constant searching you will find your calling(s) and meaning in your life's work
- Having hope in and of itself is an act of courage. Dealing with despair through resignation and world wariness is the coward’s coping mechanism. Having hope is having the courage to will the best for yourself and others, even in the face of all the world's horrors. Having hope is a choice. Yes, there are forces beyond your control that can pretty much take away everything you possess and care for.
Everything but one thing...
And that is the freedom to choose how you will respond to the situation. You cannot control what happens to you in life, but you can always control what you feel and what you do in response.