uplifting quotation of the day
"hope is a lying bitch," (the laughing corpse, by laurell k. hamilton).
it's amazing the level of clarity that comes from pessimistic realism. there are things worth hoping for and some that may even come to pass. but mostly there is disappointment when one gets his hopes up. why is that?
is it that life really is a sadistic persona who pleasures itself in our heart-wrenching disillusionment? or is it that we are hoping for those things that can are impossible and we should welcome the truth of such disillusionment and embrace the knowledge that the object of our hope was never meant to be? is disappointment inevitable or the sum of our habit of setting our sights upon those prizes which are out of reach? is being satisfied with the way things have turned out tranquil enlightenment or simply giving in - or up - too easily? is the content man strong for being able to accept his life as it is or weak for not trying harder to achieve and attain those things which he is without?
it's amazing the level of clarity that comes from pessimistic realism. there are things worth hoping for and some that may even come to pass. but mostly there is disappointment when one gets his hopes up. why is that?
is it that life really is a sadistic persona who pleasures itself in our heart-wrenching disillusionment? or is it that we are hoping for those things that can are impossible and we should welcome the truth of such disillusionment and embrace the knowledge that the object of our hope was never meant to be? is disappointment inevitable or the sum of our habit of setting our sights upon those prizes which are out of reach? is being satisfied with the way things have turned out tranquil enlightenment or simply giving in - or up - too easily? is the content man strong for being able to accept his life as it is or weak for not trying harder to achieve and attain those things which he is without?
posted by scøüpe at 11:42 PM
3 Comments:
i think there's one option you haven't considered here, having to do with the object of our hope. if we put our hope in attaining specific things or achieving certain circumstances, i think we will often be disappointed, because the goal is rarely within our complete control.
if, however, we put our hope in God, who provides us with what we need in spite of our circumstances or possessions, we will never be disappointed. we may not like what's going on, but we find comfort and rest in the fact that He is in complete control of it and will not allow us to suffer more than we can bear.
i don't think this leads to the abandonment of responsibility by any means, but rather it should encourage us "to be content whatever the circumstances". this is the context in which Paul states "i can do all things through Christ who strengthens me"--He even gives us the strength to be content and trust Him.
being content doesn't mean taking a fatalistic point of view and deciding to do nothing to change your circumstances (or yourself). instead, i think it is being at peace when, despite your effort, things don't go how you want them to. because you're hope is not in those things anyway, but in God himself, who loves you.
i agree w/fro, but want to add that, given everything for which you long, you'll never be more content. the happiness will even wear off. we've got to learn to be happy here, now, before we can hope to be happy when we get to wherever we're going.
i, having single-handedly unlocked the great mystery of happiness, am of course just as far from the goal as anyone else. knowing what we ought to do, & doing it are, in many ways, opposites.
but hoping for things or circumstances to change the way you feel is futile. the way you feel is much more likely (though not guaranteed) to change your circumstances. the beautiful thing is, so what if it doesn't? you're already happy & content, anyway.
when one excepts things the way they are and stops hoping for the things that may forever be out of reach, he can submit to finding contentment in what he has. realism doesn't have to be pessimistic; it just normally ends up that way. to me, blind optimism is a crock.
very few people understand why i am never excited about any upcoming events - say, moving to savannah with the woman i love, for instance. i choose not to except the hope as an actuality until it begins to substantiate. i mean, you never know, the woman could end up leaving for another girl a mere week before our moving date. i'm speaking completely hypothetically here, of course.
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