Harnessing Hope
Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.
—Desmond Tutu.
I find myself holding fast to a hopeful mindset these days—that the upcoming election will not be fraught with chaos; that we will elect values- and integrity-based leadership; that as a nation we will heal our divides and respect the worth of every citizen; that this virus is brought under control and the number of deaths halted. My hope list goes on and on. These may seem like fantasies to some, but as you’ll see below, there are clear distinctions between hope and fantasy.
Unity Riders Andre Block and Jonathan Williams
I often watch CBS This Morning because so many of their stories capture the essence of hope personified. When I hear such stories, my hope in and for humanity is renewed. I’m inspired by:
Two women who are neighbors, one black, one white, on opposite sides of the political spectrum, yet determined to stay connected and love each other.
Two men with different backgrounds and political beliefs on a 3,000-mile Unity Ride across America to prove that everyone can find something to agree on, no matter how many differences they have. As one said, “When you set a common goal, a lot can be accomplished.”
Young people working to strengthen communities and American democracy by forming organizations like Civics Unplugged, to spearhead passion projects for youth looking to make change; The Greater Good Initiative, to bring more empathy into politics through a youth-led policy think-tank that creates sustainable, effective, and non-partisan policy solutions to the nation's most pressing issues; and DICCE, devising diversity, inclusion, anti-racism, and equity training for Gen Zers, by Gen Zers.
Project Hope Exchange building the world’s largest online collection of Messages of Hope—30-second audio messages of encouragement from adversity survivors to others facing similar adversities. They envision being a vital resource for people looking to get hope, but also providing a meaningful pathway for people looking to give hope.
Hope is created moment to moment through our deliberate choices. It happens when we use our thoughts and feelings to temper our aversion to loss and actively pursue what is possible. When we choose hope, we define what matters to us most.
—Shane J. Lopez Ph.D.
The Science of Hope
Scientists are working on evidence to prove that hope may have a physical presence in the brain. It’s a thought process that can be learned and taught. Hope is generated through the power of thoughts in our mind, aided by positive experiences, optimism, and the support of those around us.
In Making Hope Happen, author Shane Lopez describes three different ways we can think about the future: fantasizing the big and awesome; dwelling on all the things that can go wrong; and hoping, a combination of the best of those two, always aware that making our hopes a reality will be challenging. Neuroscience shows that fantasizing is a neural mechanism that activates the reward system of the brain, affecting motivation so that we can keep on going in the face of adversity.
Lopez says that the three primary aspects of making hope happen are:
1. Goals. Human behavior is goal-oriented, so we need a future purpose that excites us.
2. Agency. The level of intention and confidence to believe that you have the power to make that future a reality.
3. Pathways. Understanding that there are many ways to reach your goal and that none of those paths will be free of obstacles.
Lopez says that the most essential skill for hope is futurecasting—visualizing what you want and imagining positive outcomes so that your behavior is unconsciously structured to create them.
Hope has been shown to create neurochemical states that shield the brain from the worst effects of the neurotransmitters produced by anxiety while giving rise to more regulated behavior. In research done on trauma, illness, and resiliency, hope was the most predictive indicator of well-being.
We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.
— Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.
— Robert F. Kennedy
To make progress, we need to be able to imagine alternative realities—better ones—and we need to believe that we can achieve them. The adversities of life can rob us of hope, if we capitulate to them. When we have hope we believe that our future will be better than our present, so we must cultivate the ability to envision that future.
