Hope

A friend and I were discussing Hope the other day. I'll admit I am a bit fuzzy as to what we actually talked about but I wanted to share what I CAN remember:

His take on Hope... first of all that it does exist and is something desirable. Second, that it has value. After all, if it didn't exist, if it didn't have SOME value, then what are we living for? Why do we get up in the morning if not for the hope that there is something worthwhile to accomplish? What keeps people going if not for the hope that their goals, their wishes, will be accomplished, will come true?

My take on it... I don't really believe that Hope has any inherent value... that Hope, like everything else only has value if a person chooses to value it. Another friend I was talking about this with gave me a good word... Hope is not tangible, rather it is something (and these are my thoughts now, not hers) a vague idea that people have. Hope is nothing more than the expectation of something desirable... as a matter of fact the sign (as I learned it, remember that sign language is regional and so there are different signs for the same word depending on where you go) for Hope is the same as the sign for Expect.

But here' a question: if I don't value something... does it exist? I don't feel hope... Sure, there are things I would like to happen but I don't HOPE for them, I don't feel hope... I wonder... is Hope a feeling?

Does Hope exist? Or is it something that we made up, something cultural, something that is only understood through the construct of our culture and language..?

I want to leave y'all with a question, a quote from Phoebe in Wonderland:

"Are you always supposed to feel hope?"