I asked my retired federal government operator friend how he understood hope. He said, “Don’t scream on the way down.” As a skydiver, he has jumped out of planes several thousand times, and is still alive, despite some chute malfunctions, so he has something to teach us. He went on, “In the event of a double malfunction, keep focused on clearing one of your chutes…all the way to the ground if necessary. Don’t waste your time screaming on the way to the ground when you could be fighting for a solution.” Hope helps us navigate the free fall, focusing on how we might impact our landing, even while managing despair.
Hope Helps Us Persevere
In the tale of “Pandora’s box,” when all the evils had escaped from Pandora’s jar, famously, only hope remained. Hope can help us persevere in dark times. Hope is the act of choosing to focus on what we long for, acknowledging that it might not happen (Pleeging, et al, 2022). Balanced, active hope motivates us to take action while remaining resilient to disappointment and resisting manipulation.
Hope Promotes Mental Health
Research has consistently shown that hope is a key factor in promoting mental health and well-being. A study by Snyder et al. (2002) found that individuals with higher levels of hope reported lower levels of depression and anxiety and higher levels of life satisfaction. Hope has also been linked to better coping skills, increased motivation, and improved treatment outcomes in mental health settings (Irving et al., 2004). A meta‐analytic review of the protective effects of positive expectancies revealed that individuals who have cultivated hope, optimism and self-efficacy have lower PTSD symptoms (Gallagher, et al 2019).
Robust Hope Includes Episodic Despair
There is a gap between this moment and a desired future: hope is what we feel when we connect to the possibility of that future, and despair is what we feel when we realize that future may never be. Both experiences are present in the gap! (Huber, 2022). Joanna Macy, a famous climate activist, described “active hope” as a spiral of engagement: connecting to gratitude, moving to acknowledging our despair, then seeing with new eyes and finding new connections, followed by taking actions to promote change. This spiral emphasizes ever deepening hope and commitment (Macy and Johnstone, 2012).
Hope or “Hopium?”
Hope that is founded on denial and inaction is unsustainable, leading disappointment and distress when hopes are not realized. It can also contribute to vulnerability for exploitation (for instance, believing vague promises things will be “great again”) and risks invalidating those who are suffering. As the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche wrote that hope “is the worst of all evils because it prolongs the torments of man.” This “hopium” Nietzsche warns us about is characterized by wishful thinking and a reliance on external factors to bring about desired outcomes (Snyder, 2002).
Cultivating Sustainable Hope
How can we cultivate a healthy, sustainable sense of hope that promotes resilience and well-being? The key is to balance hope with realism and action. Here are some strategies:
Have the courage to contact your longing: Søren Kierkegaard said, “Hope is passion for what is possible.” It is courageous to feel passion, longing, even anguish. Do you care about something enough to contact these emotions? We go where we are looking, and if we are afraid to look at these emotions, we might not orient ourselves to take action. So look where you want to go, even if it hurts.
Focus on the process: In times of great uncertainty, hope requires openness to future possibilities without a fixed outcome in mind. This process-oriented hope allows for flexibility and resilience, as it focuses on finding meaning in the pursuit itself and adapting to new goals, and pivoting after disappointment (Pleeging, et al, 2022). T. S. Eliot writes of this flexible hope in his poem, “Wait Without Hope.”
Take action: Don’t just sit back and hope for the best—take proactive steps towards your longing. Jamil Zaki, author of Hope for Cynics, tells his students, “Think globally, but hope locally. Focus on parts of their lives and parts of the world where they have agency and where they can see the power of their actions making a difference.” (Suttie, 2024).
Practice acceptance: It is ok to hope for the most unrealistic of outcomes! It is also important to prepare for challenges and obstacles you might face, and accept the reality of your situation.
Find Partners in hope: Shared hope is stable, long-term, and infectious. When a culture of hope is created, individual doubts and fears are reassured, and people are more likely to collaborate and even sacrifice their own well-being for the interests of the community. Over time, social hope can accumulate and create a form of cultural capital and shared identity (Pledging, et. Al, 2021).
Take a moment to reflect on your own relationship with hope. Notice any areas where you may be drowning in despair or relying on hopium, and consider how you can shift towards a more active, sustainable sense of hope. Set a small, achievable goal to support what you love and take one step towards it today.
Can you contact both your hope and despair, do what you know how to do now, stay flexible, and find some allies to get this social hope snowball rolling?