RANDOM THOUGHTS (1)
HOPE and UNCERTAINTY
The line between hope and uncertainty is thin. One is positive, as it were and the other, though indifferent, not necessarily negative. Hope is a great illusion that fights against ignorance and gives one a sense of certainty. It is the positive belief of an uncertain outcome. It is a delightful image imprinted in the mind in order to give one a reason to attempt a venture, to endure a pain, to wait with long-suffering, or to sacrifice oneself or one’s possession.
While a great deal of what is hoped for stems from the present circumstances or individual efforts, the actualization itself is as a result of a myriad of factors both external and internal, both within and without one’s power. The factors without one’s power are uncertain. What is the point of hoping on something you know for sure is unrealizable? That’s being certain at present of a certain future. It is no longer hope. It is expectation.
That is what calculated investors do. Though high risk takers rely more on hope than on expectation. Even that which is positive, once it becomes certain to actualize ceases to become hope. It becomes expectation. So, though hope is always positive, it is a desirable uncertainty. You picture this more easily when hope is not actualized. It gives birth to disappointment.
It is great to keep hope alive. It is great to desire an uncertain end and to keep one’s heart yearning for it. But it gives your heart a big room for the uncertain. And the possibilities tied to uncertainty are higher than those with hope.
Hope is non-existent, uncertainty is real. Yet what is most certain is our reality, our present, our now. The past is more certain than our present but it no longer exists. Yet, the past, just like hope, can have a powerful influence on man. They are both not our reality but they can both give us a sense of reality. The past is a memory of a buried reality. And just like the graveyard still invites the bereaved on a constant visit, the memories keep going back to the past. It is not our default, but culturally, man has made it seemingly so. The hope to meet one’s loved ones after death is also a sure antidote of the pain of the loss of one’s beloved.
When hope is not seen, it becomes untrue. When it is seen, it becomes true. But while hoping, it is uncertain, illusionary. The truest of all is the present. Disappointment is true. It is the resultant effect of the realisation of a false belief, or false hope. Uncertainty is true. It is a paradoxical truth. You cannot tell it. But it happens. The present world is governed by rules and exceptions. The exceptions to the rules of life are greater than the rules themselves. Humans are meant to follow the rules. The exceptions come naturally.
If we must live with peace, we must understand what hope and uncertainty are. We must also know that the present is man’s only possession. Unactualized hope can rip man off of it. So he must understand to accept his reality the way it is and approach life from that angle. Doing this, life becomes easier to live in.
