Hope
Does hope make things better for us or worse?
The Wisemen Says
“Hope is a waking dream“, said Aristotle.
“Learn from yesterday, live for today, and hope for tomorrow. The important thing is to not stop questioning tomorrow,” said Einstein.
“Everything that is done in the world is done by hope,” said Martin Luther King.
Martin Luther King was correct, as were Aristotle and Einstein.
Hope: Living in the Past
The question is, if we know that tomorrow will never come, do we want to live in the future at the expense of our present, or do we want to live in the present without thinking about the future?
Since we can never wish for what we have never seen or experienced, hope is a simulated future constructed upon our past experiences. This implies that we wish to live in a hope that is based on an outdated past that we once thought was comfortable. Why?
Hope works like sugar. The more we eat, the more we want.
All the great and good have taught us to live in the present, so why did they sell us “hope”?
They taught us to live in hope and never “give up,” but why didn’t they educate us to “give in,” which is to give up everything we have in order to live in the present moment? What can we hope for after we have our “now”?
Probably because either the “now” was a hard sell, or whoever tried to do this before the other way failed terribly and was labelled a lunatic in the end?
It could also be because the entire human race is bound and regulated by a rule book, whether religious or constitutional. When people stop caring about the future and start living in the present, the authorities lose control of the masses.
I’m intrigued. If the reader has an answer, please share it in the comments section.
Live in the Now
Jesus, Rāma, Socrates, and Gandhi did not live in hope; they all resurrected themselves. Rāma later appeared as Krishna in the following avatār. The message they conveyed was to live with love rather than hope. All of them represent love rather than hope. They resurrected themselves repeatedly, fresh and new in their thoughts and actions. If you are intrigued to know more about love, you can read it here: What is Love?.
The tree’s leaves do not wither in the hope of summer. It sheds according to its consciousness, in the now, without knowing what calendar month it is. Similarly, it is unconcerned about blossoming in the next spring because it had a bad experience losing its leaves the previous autumn. So, why do we humans need to develop a new “system of hope” on top of the existing fight-or-flight response system that has evolved throughout time?
Wisdom from the Sacred Texts
The ancient wisdom says the same. Focus on the actions and not on the results or the outcome. It is ok to wish for a good outcome, but the consequences of our actions are beyond our control.
कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन।
मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि॥ [Bhagwad Gita 2.47]
Transliteration: karmaṇy-evādhikāras te mā phaleṣhu kadāchana
mā karma-phala-hetur bhūr mā te saṅgo ‘stvakarmaṇi
Translation:
“You have a right to perform your prescribed duties, but you are not entitled to the fruits of your actions. Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities, nor be attached to inaction.”
Summarising on Hope
Hope instills fear and anXiety in us; however, love allows us to enjoy and live in the present.
We should surrender completely to the moment, and we will live in the present rather than the past. As Mirdad once stated, “live to die, or die to live“?
We all come across various challenges in life, and the only hope required is that by living in the present moment, taking action, and doing what we are supposed to do, we will be able to improve our future.
If I had to give my children only one message, I would say this:
Don’t live in “hope,” live in the moment. Face today’s issues with complete surrender and all-in, and you will be prepared for tomorrow. Nobody came to save Jesus, Krishnā, Socrates, or Gāndhi, and no one will come for you. They all resurrected themselves, so get rid of your previous memories and live in the present.
Let us start afresh, live in the now, and stop hoping for the best. Whatever happens will be the best outcome for us. So, do we really need hope?
Bhavin Shukla 
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