I said: “Emmerson Mnangagwa has got me hoping against hope.” I use
the italicised phrase rather too often. The
“hope” here, implying it’s futile, is plain enough; it’s a saying and people
know what you mean. Even I know what I
mean.
But when I think about it, I realise it’s one of those
superfluous words, fillers in conversation as much as “so to speak” or “like”
or “um” and “er”. When it comes down to
it, what the hell is “hope”? Things are as they are and you do your best,
or your third best, and you get on with things, like all creatures do, because
the only way to live is to strive. Some
people happen to be optimistic so, in the sense that they really can’t deal
with thoughts of the worst, they have “hope”.
Pessimists just plug away. But
that’s as far as you can go. The end
result’s the same.
There is a whole great two-day conference I’ve been invited
to on the theme of hope, and the assumption is that it’s a commodity and there
isn’t enough of it about. But what can the
participants say? I know already that to
venture forth Polyanna-ishly or Micawberishly isn’t very satisfactory. On the other hand, having a plan might be, and
to adopt a Stoical frame of mind is positively sensible.
I fight a losing battle against redundant words. “Spirituality” is another, a vague word, a
vague notion likely to blend into feyness, while, say, “sensibility” or
“wonderment” or “intensity” or whatever, according to context, should be used
instead. Next, “faith” is a word that
should be actively avoided, especially in places where “wilful blindness” might
be more accurate. (People of faith can
be fine folk, like anyone else. My beef
is that there are insolent people who assume people of faith to be morally superior
to rational people, as if any old belief is better than healthy doubt. Discrimination against rational thinking is settling
into a trend, the emotions vaunted, investigative reporting reviled, Richard
Dawkins transformed into a hate figure. Ah,
well.... End of side-rant.)
But we live particularly dangerously, in these dangerous
times, when whole books are written on the theme of hope and it’s seen as
necessary instrument for living.
Stoicism: I was beguiled by Marcus Aurelius just when I began
questioning the convoluted creeds I’d inherited. I fear I haven’t changed much since. Perhaps I should think about that.
Perhaps I should set myself a modern task and sum this
up in 140 characters. I’m told you can
use 280 now but that’s cheating.
