Hope!

Good morning!
This is the beginning of a New Year!
Wishing you all a Happy New Year on this special time and solemn occasion.

Every wish spring from the hope in our hearts and minds that something good, something better will be the outcome for ourselves or someone else!

This morning, I woke up to see in my mail a NYT essay “Your hopes” by Lauren Jackson https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?tab=rm&ogbl#inbox/FMfcgzQfBGWxGCZsWDVmQnfdnxHnBsGZ
Few brief segments below from this essay and some opinions inserted as well.

America has become a country of cynics. At least, that’s what studies show.
People don’t trust each other, the media or the government. Most Americans, about 80 percent, don’t feel confident their children’s lives will be better than theirs. About half the country thinks America’s best days are in the past.

Hope is not “wishful thinking”. Hope is acknowledgement of the reality, “as it is” and then looking ahead for the rays of light, the pathways, “the glimmer of hope”.  In that perspective, views and opinions shaped by reality – political polarization, severe economic divide (1% vs. 99%), “rage bait” in journalism and practiced by political leaders, threat of AI, growing sense of nationalism (us Vs. them) across the globe, …. are the undeniable realities. If they shape our (public) views, that is education, not to be characterized as “Cynicism”?

While optimism is the belief that the future will be better, hope is the belief “that we have the power to make it so,” said Chan Hellman, the director of The Hope Research Center at the University of Oklahoma. It is “one of the strongest predictors of well-being,” he said. It helps improve the immune system and aids recovery from illness. More hopeful people may actually grow taller than less hopeful people.

I agree with the above completely, except for the “growing taller part”. I am not sure that the NBA players are anymore hopeful or positive thinkers than the rest of us.

To cultivate hope, people need three things, Zaki said: They first need to be able to envision a better future, either personally or collectively. Second, they need willpower or motivation to move toward that future. And third, they must be able to chart “a path from where they are to where they want to be,” he added.

Above suggests that hope is merely a self-driven aspiration or desire. What can I do to “chart a path from where we are to where we want to be” as a nation, with all the economic, racial, immigrant-baiting, and acrimonious political vortices swirling around?

How to be more hopeful. There are a few ways, experts say.
People can set specific goals and then “begin brainstorming the pathways or road maps” to achieve them, ideally by writing them down, Hellman said. That can start small. “It is much better to set and focus on short-term goals rather than long-term, abstract goals,” he added.
“Replace cynicism with skepticism,” Zaki said. “Skepticism is not believing that everything will turn out great, but also not prejudging things as terrible, either.”

Here are a few additional thoughts derived from Vedic Philosophy:

Hope is a product of our human mind. It is a form of expression of our thoughts.
“Every human thought is associated with it certain Knowledge, Bias and Ignorance.

When our thoughts are rich with knowledge, we are tranquil, positive in our views with forward looking plans and expressions. That does not mean we are painting rainbows in the sky! Instead, we are realistic and “hopeful” of a better day ahead!

When our thoughts are loaded with bias, we tend to ignore the realities and prefer a bright picture, where grey shade may be warranted. Unable to accept this reality due to our personal preferences, needs and wants we get frustrated and agitated. Our hopes change into fear and apprehensions! In our current national climate, it may be OK to accept certain drift in our national climate and culture: “Selfish”, “favoring the rich over the poor”, “ignoring Science in favor of pseudo-science”, …. and try to do something about it individually, collectively and as part of the national movement. It is hard work requiring diligence and discipline. It is easier to let our thoughts drift into “what could have been?” Hope gives way to disgruntlement, cynicism and anger.

When our thoughts are filled with ignorance (like seeing a ghost, when there is only a shadow!) we truly become delusional. Our hopes become despair of cataclysmic nature!”

Instead of managing our “hopes”, let us try and manage our thoughts! Then observe their outcome as hope, cynicism or despair. To restore more hope and away from cynicism and despair, let us manage our thoughts and their sources: Knowledge, Bias and Ignorance! This is “Cognitive Behavior Management”! https://sipractce.com/2024/11/27/k-b-and-i-model-a-framework-to-filter-information/

There is also another aspect to our “Hope”! It is the acknowledgement of reality (i.e.) that
We (everyone) and indeed everything else in the Univesre are a product of nature!
Vedic Philosophy identifies this reality as “Tat Twam Asi – Thou are that”

This single thought should be a source of assurance that no one is alone or different! Everyone’s hope and aspirations are tied to the same common needs! If we keep this in mind at any time – good times as well as bad – hope springs eternal! We see a glimmer of hope about someone, something (which naturally includes the self). We see this resilience in nature all the time. It is our mind and hence our thoughts, when they include this resilience, we are more hopeful and less cynical or driven by despair! https://sipractce.com/2013/08/24/adversity-and-faith-in-nature/

Try it and give yourself a chance to engage in this self-experiment, managing your thoughts.

It is our hope that such management of your thoughts will lead to more positive outcomes and reflect as your hopes and aspirations!

Happy New Year!