What is hope? Why do we hold on to it in almost every situation we face in life? Hope is the feeling of trust. It is an aspiration to achieve your desires. Now think about it, what if hope did not exist? How would life be?

Maybe, without hope, life would feel unproductive, if not entirely pointless. It would become barren and empty if we did not have anything to feed our desires with. We all hold on to hope for fulfilling our ambitions and this is human nature. We constantly need to dream of achieving success in something we love and for that, hope is important.

As for living in the present, it is essential to cherish the moments while we still have the opportunity to do so. One must ‘dream’ about the future, not ‘worry’ about it. So here, dreaming fruitfully requires hope if we wish to fulfil them.

Hope makes an impact on our lives. When we are in the darkest of times, feeling helpless and defeated, there is still a tiny flicker of light. We anticipate that the hardships will eventually be eased. This light and anticipation is what you call hope.

There are times when we may even feel hopeless about something. The despair may feel never-ending. Being despondent makes the situation even worse and, therefore, in such times, it is essential to remind yourself that optimism is the key. You must hold on to the light, the anticipation and the optimism, ‘hope’.

Hope fills us with courage and strength. It helps to be confident and steadfast even through the toughest times. Hope is faith. It is the trust we carry with ourselves. It makes us believe in the goodness offered by life, allowing us to see the positivity in it. It makes us credit the good side of life, rather than being infuriated by the unfavourable side of it.

In the long run, hope brings us joy and contentment. When you are finally successful and happy, you will look back at the tough times that built you up since you did not lose hope. You worked hard because you were hopeful that it would pay off. You will have a sweet fruit to taste for the hope you held on to.

If we give it a thought, hope is so much more than just a feeling. It is a propitious emotion that opens the doors of opportunities for us. We strive to achieve simply because we hope we will succeed. This is the requirement of an ecstatic life. ‘Hope’ is the requirement of a prosperous life.

Published in Dawn, Young World, October 5th, 2024