From someone who has a blog titled, “Hope is not a Strategy”, this is an interesting title. My issue with ‘hope’ is when it is used as a verb. A verb means work and sitting around hoping is not work. I have no issue with ‘hope’ or in this case, hopeful, when it is a noun or adjective. The dictionary notes that in these forms of hope, we are discussing feelings and aspirations. There is also the difference between “hope in” (good) and “hope for” (not so good).
I have also often described myself as an Optimistic Realist. So, I am wondering if I should now be a Hopeful Realist. What has caused me to ponder this is being recently asked if I was optimistic about the resilience of American democracy amidst the current environment of polarization and division. Being a realist, I see the daily news, events, and happenings which trouble me, and I am not so optimistic it will change. However, I am hopeful it will.
In conversation, “hope” and “optimism” can often be used as synonyms. But there’s an important gap between them. Hope is stronger than optimism. Optimism is a belief that things will get better, while hope is the belief that we can actively make things better. Hope is believing in an expected outcome and involves a sense of agency and a willingness to work towards this desired outcome, even in the face of challenges.
Optimism can be passive, a belief that somehow – either through luck, the actions of others, or one’s own actions – the future will be successful and fulfilling. Hope involves a conscious choice to believe in a better future and to live and act towards making it a reality. Optimism relies on the belief of a positive outcome. Hope can be more resilient in the face of challenges because it is rooted in a belief in one’s own ability to influence the situation.
Optimism does serve us well in a general way both mentally and physically. However, when we need a powerful shot of motivation to help us push forward through tough times, there is no substitute for hope. Being hopeful is defined as inspiring optimism.
Martin Luther King wasn’t known for looking on the bright side or expecting the best from others. He faced repeated waves of criticism, and, at the time of his death, fewer Americans approved of him than of the Vietnam War. In his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” King lamented the optimism of moderate white Americans who said they supported his goals but took little action. He chastised society for optimistically believing that improvement would simply happen on its own. We cannot expect greener pastures if they are not tended today.
Long-term hope is not about looking on the bright side. It is a mindset that helps people endure challenges, tackle them head-on and keep their eyes on the goal. Hope plays the long game. Hope knows it may take another generation to reach the Promised Land, but it acts today to bend the moral arc toward justice.
What makes hope a virtue is not its ability to promote happiness and success but its commitment to a greater good beyond the self. Centuries of spiritual and philosophical work describe hope as a long-standing virtue that, like love, is a decision, not a feeling. Virtuous hope strives toward a purposeful vision of the common good. Hope is often shaped by hardship and strengthened through relationships.
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks teaches, “Optimism and hope are not the same. Optimism is the belief that the world is changing for the better; hope is the belief that, together, we can make the world better.” The Old Testament is not particularly optimistic, but it is one of the great literatures of hope.
An opposite viewpoint is that of Friedrich Nietzsche, a passionate atheist, who wrote, “Hope is the most evil of evils because it prolongs man’s torment.” Nietzsche viewed Christianity as a “slave morality” that undermined noble values and promoted weakness and resentment. He criticized its emphasis on humility, meekness, and self-sacrifice. He saw Christianity as a life-denying force that hindered the development of strong, creative individuals. Nietzsche rejected Christ because he couldn’t believe in a God who offers hope in the form of universal forgiveness. Nietzsche was wrong; true hope relies only on God. True hope builds on the foundation of humility and self-sacrafice that fuels a collective life-sustaining force.
Many who anchor their hope in Christian faith reference St. Paul who wrote, “Suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope. Now this hope does not disappoint us.” A hopeful Christian is confident that God is good and has ultimate good in store for each of His children. But the outcomes along the way may not feel or be good; in fact, there may be terrible pain, loss, and sorrow for Christians in this life.
Biblical hope is not optimism. In fact, the most hopeful people in the Bible often had very few reasons to believe things would get better for them any time soon. Biblical hope is a confident expectation and desire for something good in the future. Biblical hope is the expectation that God will keep His promises and His plan for us is good.
Hope is something that God has called us to (Ephesians1:18), and it is fuel for our joy (Romans 12:12).
God has not commanded us to be optimists; rather, He has given us all we need to abound in hope.
