Have you ever felt slightly frustrated by the use of the word ‘hope’ in motivational writing?
This is what I find for ‘hope’ in the Merriam-Webster dictionary1 :
“… implies little certainty but suggests confidence or assurance in the possibility that what one desires or longs for will happen.”
Note the passivity, externalisation of the locus of action, and an unavoidable vagueness.
Here’s another approach to that word ‘hope’. One which explicitly combines optimism with grit. Vulnerable to neither tragic optimism nor hopeful pessimism. One that looks forward to a better future and highlights the role of individual agency. Rooted in a sense or feeling of having a path forward to better future outcomes.
For me, ‘hope’, then isn’t the vague, passive, wishy-washy kind of thing that is easily dashed, leading to inevitable disappointment.
It is a recognition in our gut that circumstances will improve, combined with a resolute determination to see that they do; to truly make the better world come into being.
It implies action, ownership, and agency2
To me, this kind of hope is applicable not only to the individual who seeks to better their circumstances. It is equally appropriate for communities, neighbourhoods, cultures and societies.
Related to this are the over-used words ‘should’ and ‘must’ …
- People should spend a little time each week cleaning up litter
- A policy must be enacted to clear up the litter
Someone else will do it. Look after the problem. Clean it all up out of sight.
The government – or authority – can be appealed to and will rescue us from our own haplessness.
Known as the ‘Chapter 10 problem’3, this is related to the Tragedy of the Commons:
… the concept that, if many people enjoy unfettered access to a finite, valuable resource, such as a pasture, they will tend to overuse it and may end up destroying its value altogether. Even if some users exercised voluntary restraint, the other users would merely replace them, the predictable result being a “tragedy” for all
Wikipedia
Appeals to a ‘better nature’ that somehow we don’t truly believe in. Waiting – or crying out – to be saved from inevitable decrepitude by a more powerful entity. Having to fence off, contain, or smother with rules a common resource, because, you know, we just can’t be trusted ….
Finding the agentic hope, and solid reasons for motivation, is why this blog exists.
Here, we explore ways in which that special kind of hope can be generated, and in which the motivation needed to put others’ needs before our own can be discovered.
Or, re-discovered, as it were.