“What is a story of hope?” Was the question I was tasked to answer in this reflection. There are often many ways to answer an open ended question like this, and although I believed that the definition for a story of hope was an interpretation of one’s own personal opinion, I have come to the fact that a story of hope is something succinct, something with it’s own narrowed meaning. Yet, there is also a rudimentary truth, a truth that crumbles the walls that try to hold the meaning of this “thing”; a truth that no “thing” is solitary.
Hope is a thing of the mind yet it is all around us. It is a human symptom of living yet we often loose it in the hustle and bustle of our torrential downpour of worries and doubts. However, we tend to find when there is not much to be hopeful for, when things are unsure and when all we can do… is hope. These time when we feel this hope tell a story. They tell a story about human nature, but they also tell the story of resilience, adversity, and survival. They tell a story of hope. I think that a story of hope is a story that provides hope, a story that satirically provides a new perspective or a memory of what hope is. Fiction or non-fiction, hope is still a reality of our circumstance in both. It is our perception, faced with actuality or the stories we gather in our mind. A story of hope should reach out.
Pulling from multiple case studies, I have learned that a story of hope is not a story of hope without the contents of a story. Looking at previous years and my gained understanding of story telling techniques, a story must have an “arc” or a beginning, middle, and end. In some cases, this structure comes from conflict, or romance, or mystery, but in a story of hope, hope is the climax and the conclusion. I say it is the climax and the conclusion because hope is something that persists in these kind of stories and following my definition of a story that provides hope to the listener, watcher, or reader, it is something that is not diminished by the conflict of the story. I said it is not contained because hope is not an antidote or cure and it is not an optimism based in fiction, but is also not real because often when hope is needed, reassurance does not coincide.
Hope is the impetus in a story of hope but a story of hope also contains adversity, resilience, and survival. These words are what makes a story of hope touch the audience and is also a rare story considering how common any four of these individual parts can be. In a story of hope, resilience is the reaction to adverse situations creating the will of survival. Hope is deeply ingrained in resilience thus being deeply connected to the adversity, and survival in a story of hope.
If you read the attached link to the word “survival” you will see that I define survival as the ability to continue. I say it is the ones ability to overcome adversity but does not mean coming out the other side. It can fall into the actuality of still living because a survivor made the choice to keep going, but in the end, survival is the choice or result of ones choices that allows them to continue. In stories like professional surfer, Bethany Hamilton, she made the choice at some point to continue, no matter how hard it would be. She won’t ever get her arm back but she was resilient with her view on life and how she decided to use it. Other stories like Sean Stephenson or Stephen Hawking’s have ended before they could “overcome” the adversity they were faced with. However, I still truly believe that they are are still survivors, they still continued.
A story of hope does not neglect the hardships one faced or end happily ever after. No, a story of hope makes you question how you see your fate, and what makes you go deep. Past those thoughts of guilt or denial, and makes you feel the humanity in tragedy. These stories allow you to pull out lessons of resilience and pull closer to why you continue.
Hey Ryder,
It’s cool how you are exploring what a story of hope is in terms of the interrelationship between different concepts, such as hope, resilience, adversity and will of survival. I concur that these various dimensions of human experience can all find expression within one’s personal response to challenges.
Your systemic approach to understanding hope harkens back to the photo that you posted depicting plants’ intricate and interconnected root networks hidden from plain view. I agree with what you wrote about “a truth that no “thing” is solitary.” This is such a meaningful insight, as there are so many ways to envision how this view of unity elucidates our understanding of reality and wisdom.
I like that you said: “hope is a thing of the mind yet it is all around us.” Indeed, we can see hope manifesting both in other people’s lives – as within the personal stories of Bethany and Sean that you presented in your blog post – and also as some ineffable quality intrinsic to nature.
For, no doubt, biological evolution has developed “all around us” such amazing capacities for resilience, adaptability, and perseverance within both individuals and communities of life or ecosystems. Just as you pointed out, “resilience shows up everywhere in nature” and we can even learn lessons from the Pacific Salmon run that you outlined so well.
Also, I agree that “a story of hope should reach out” because it can then serve humanity within an increasingly interconnected, global community by inspiring values of mutual care and compassion while perhaps fostering an attitude of ‘we are all in this together’.
I like, too, your observation that “hope is something that persists…” For, I believe that hope isn’t mere wishful thinking, neither momentary nor static. Rather, hope seems to find its home within a person’s unique disposition as an enduring presence that can evolve with changing circumstances, even within the context of uncertainty. Is this, in part, how you see hope persisting? Or, in what other ways?
I think hope can draw strength from the willingness to look for new possibilities. Hope seems to possess a core, wise recognition that potential always exists while the future has not yet been written. It would be interesting, too, to consider how the notion of “faith” relates and compares to hope… perhaps for another day.
I recently listened to a discussion on YouTube and one of the speakers mentioned there being this space for radical hope or “leaving space for grace.” This phrase seems like a decent meme to me… maybe you’ve heard it?
So, I actually like a lot this notion of “leaving space for grace” in relation to a story of hope. The speaker explains how life inclines towards future ‘novelty’, ‘emergence’, and even contains ‘serendipity’ and luck. This idea basically goes that these types of future, surprising developments really can’t be seen from the here and now, therefore, by keeping the faith, space is created for beneficial events to happen.
Hey, and good suggestion that a story of hope “provides a new perspective or a memory of what hope is.” Getting a fresh lens to view an adverse circumstance can be so very helpful because a limiting perspective or inaccurate interpretation really can negatively affect emotions and motivation. Do you agree?
A new framing – a new way of seeing some predicament or dilemma – can really enhance resilience and support a positive attitude for what’s possible. I’m realizing more and more these days that compassion for others and, so essentially, compassion for oneself is also integral to hope. What do you think?
So, thanks so much for your thoughtful, insightful and encouraging reflection.