This I Believe – Hope is always alive

Hope

I believe in faith. I believe in courage, valour, and love. I believe that no matter what the world throws at us, at what evil rises, at the persecution of innocent people, hope is always alive. I believe that life packs a mean punch, that people will come and stomp all over you, that you will waste tears over people who aren’t worth it, but if you have the courage to hope once again, then life will get better in the end.

This fantastical marvel are one of the very few concepts that are unexplained, but accepted internationally. It is capable of moving mountains, it is capable of rousing people to cry out against all injustice, it is the strength of a nation, of people, of children. It is hope.

If I was going to be honest with myself, hope is something that I am so foreign with, but at the same time, so intimate with. Hope is neither a caged bird, nor a roaring lion, but a little twinkling star. The little light that shines the barest sliver of illumination in the sea of darkness. It reaches out, and touches hearts. It links hands together in one common goal.

Hope is something that I hold closest to my heart. It encapsulates my dreams, banishes my worries, brandishes a sword against my fears, and gives me strength.

It shows me that it isn’t bad to say no once in a while.
It shows me that despite all my tears and fears, that there is something better on the horizon.
It shows me that there is no shame in dancing my heart away or dreaming about finding treasure in the little things.
It shows me that bad people underneath aren’t always rotten.
It shows me that love can endure anything.

This concept of hope is the only way that I can get up in the morning, and plaster a sunny smile on my face- determined and ready- to face the world. It’s the only way I can raise my fists, tilt my chin up, and declare loudly, “THIS IS NOT RIGHT.”

Hope allows me to forgive when forgiveness is needed, to be the shoulder for people to cry on, and pushes me to move forward, pumping a fist in the air, living life as myself. I understand that while people have a limitless potential for evil, they also have a limitless potential for good.

I remember spending endless nights, staring out my window, wondering why everything in the world was happening.

Why were people dying?
Why are evil men walking free?

I remember sobbing over the fact that we live in a world where bombs and gunshots are the melodies that generations of children hear everyday. I remember staring in stunned silence as the news of 9/11 suddenly flashed on television screens all over the world. I remember talking to my friends in a monotone voice, unable to meet their eyes, trying to remember to smile. My mind and soul was heading down a deeper pit, and I didn’t know how to claw myself back up. The darkness was too much, and it was going to consume me.

But that all changed.

It came to me outside. I sat outside, the blades of grass tickling the undersides of my legs, the air stirring the stray strands of hair that framed my face. The sun shine beautifully, the light dappling through the leaves of the tree. It was wonderfully silent, save for the occasional laughter of children in my neighborhood or the tweet of a bird or the whisper of the breeze. I leaned back, falling on my back, the impact cushioned by the grass. Taking a breath, I felt happy.

In that moment, I knew.

I knew that I had so much to live for, I had dreams, and loves. For the first time in a year, a brilliant, real smile blossomed on my face, tears slipping down my cheeks.

Many ask me, “Why do you hope?”

And I always answer, rubbing the back of my neck, tongue poking on the inside of my cheek. “I hope because I just do.”

There is no definitive answer to why I hope.

I hope for myself.
I hope for my family.
I hope for my friends and enemies.
I hope for my nation, and the world.

Hope makes me unbreakable. It makes me fearless. It pushes me to strive for a better world, to never settle for anything less. It makes me love, and dream. Hope tilts my head up, puff my chest out in pride, and grin.

I believe that hope is one of the strongest forces in the world.

Hope is the armour we all need. The little angel perched on our shoulders. The little flame flickering on the bottom of Pandora’s box. A mother’s hand, and a father’s reassurance.

I say this to anyone out there, who is losing all of their hope. Who believe that there is nothing good to live for. That nobody is going to help them. Don’t. Stand strong, there is always a better tomorrow. No fear, and no surrender. Plant your feet on the ground firmly, and speak. Don’t be afraid.

Because

I’m not afraid anymore.

 

 

 

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2 thoughts on “This I Believe – Hope is always alive

  1. Dear Brynana,

    When you first expressed your feelings after having written your blog, you explained it as word vomit. I have to disagree with you upon this particular reasoning, your blog is stunningly written and is marvellous. Hope is a topic that is constantly mentioned, we continually refer back to it within literary pieces we read. But personally, within my everyday life, I never do consider hope as often as I should. It is there, dictating and guiding my decisions, but never do I acknowledge it.

    Your piece served as a reminder to me, that hope as you mentioned “is not a caged bird nor a roaring line, but a little twinkling star.” This analogy consequently caused me to further reflect upon the essence of hope. Stars do not last forever, they eventually do burn out. So I inquire, do you believe hope can forever dissipate? Or is it a fire subdued, but then rekindled (as the death of some stars can cause the birth of others)?

    You also mentioned how hope gives you strength, how it serves as endurance. Hope can becomes ones ultimate reason for surviving, yet when hope is imprinted within your thoughts within times of adversity, does that hope not succumb to the weakness of doubt? Does hope not sometimes cause ourselves to in turn become more apprehensive and accept defeat? I am completely awed when you mention hope with a positive connotation, it takes a true warrior to be optimistic in this sense and not succumb to the weakness hope can initiate. For this, I admire you.

    I was incredibly amazed when you mentioned how hope makes you “unbreakable and fearless.” One would assume hope is for the weak, it causes you to lose sight of residing within the harsh realisms of reality. When analyzing hope within literature my mind would always grasp onto how hope lead to negative circumstances and mentality. But your insights have made me acknowledge the fact that hope should be seen in the perspective of vigor and durability.

    Your writing overall always reels me in, it has this quality which I will never be able to describe in words, you describe your opinion with passion and such expressiveness that it feels as if you are bearing your soul.

    Thank you for writing this wonderful masterpiece.

    With love,

    Sadia

  2. Dear Sadia,

    I’m so sorry that I haven’t commented and FINALLY, I have mustered the effort to reply. So, here we go: I suppose you are right in the idea that the concept of hope itself has been written about so many times that I felt that it really lost its true meaning over the centuries. Ok, let me rephrase that, hope has so many definitions that differ between individuals, it’s hard to distinguish what hope really is. I agree with you that hope dictates our decisions, thoughts, feelings, but rarely do we acknowledge it. I sincerely hope you start acknowledging it more. When it boils down to nothing, hope is the only thing you have.

    I loved how you were able to pull out meaning from my analogies, it honestly just blew out of my mind. And you took the words right out of my mouth. Hope, to me, is not greedy. It touches the minds and hearts of others. Even if you start to lose hope, you are still able to rekindle the hope within others, much like the death of one star creating more. (P.S. I laughed so hard when you spelt lion wrong.)

    Hope is endurance and endurance is hope. Be it during normal times or times of adversity, hope will ALWAYS be weakened by doubt, but its how you regain that hope that truly displays the strength of an individual. This reminds me of a quote by Friedrich Nietzsche, “In reality, hope is the worst of all evils, for it prolongs the torments of man.” Hope, in itself, is a double-edged sword. There are times where hope is necessary for survival, but there are, also, times where false hope could destroy you. (i don’t think that answered your question, I’m sorry.)

    Anyways, thank you so much for reading my piece, and suffering through my complaints on how I thought it was bad. I suppose that is some sort of writing style of mine. Whenever I write, I bear my whole person for everyone to see. I really don’t have anything to write. And you’re welcome, my friend.

    -Much love,

    Bryna Anne

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