For my series of short stories, I am using the central thematic subject of Hope. Thusly, I was wondering: what does hope mean to you? and what are general situations that can come from this?

Examples are: hope can delude one’s good judgment and make them believe in a lost cause; hope can get one through a rough time.

The latter covers most of my view of hope. Hope is the antithesis of despair. Despair robs you of energy and motivation, whereas hope infuses new energy even if you are exhausted.

Hope is what keeps search teams combing the wilderness for a lost child well into the night. When hope fades, searchers' resolve fails them, and they must rest before proceeding from rescue mode into the recovery phase.

Hope is, essentially, hope. That's all there is to it. Blue is blue, the sky is the sky, and hope is hope. It's a powerful force for good and possibly the strongest human emotion- and one that, at some time or another, incorporates all other emotions from hate to love- but in the end, it's just what keeps us going. Hope.

Hmm... then perhaps the word I should have used to explain it is 'optimism'. Well, any suggestions for that aspect?

h-o-p-e

hope is jist a 4-letter word,
one o’ the worst ah’ve ever heard…
‘cause while folks’re hopin’
f’r this thing ‘n that,
‘n wantin’ it STAT,
nothin’ gets done
by anyone!

hope’s fer a dope, a lazy type
who don’t do much but moan ‘n gripe…
the kind who’s jes’ waitin’
‘n sayin’ prayers,
for some god o’ theirs,
t’fix what they broke…
ain’t that a joke?

hope’s the dumbest 4-letter word,
worse’n the ‘f’ one, ‘n that’s absurd…
‘cause it jes’ means sumpin’
that can be fun
for anyone,
while hope’s jes’ glue
that’ll immobilize you!

as for 'optimism'...

A 20/20 Handicap

both blessed and cursed am I,
with a mind’s eye incapable
of being deceived
[self-inflicted or otherwise received]…
an intellect so keen it sees
2 plus 2 as only 4…
one never swayed by
wistful dreams of threes
nor a greedy need for five

yearn as I may for selective sight,
my brain works non-stop
discerning right from wrong
despite others’ delight
in seeing shades of gray…
black and white to me
are clear as day and night
although dawn or dusk
would be a kind and gentle lie

this gift brings no pleasure nor
the treasures ignorance bestows
on they who know not truth…
those who calm their fears
with years of illusions,
self-delusions that comfort
the willing blind…
my mind sees through
all we choose to hide

handicapped by perfect sight,
blinded by an honest view
of what we do and did
from our beginning to now,
nothing hidden, others’
consciences’ camouflage
won’t work on me…
I see man as he is,
behind his masked facades

a blind spot or two to me,
would be a kindness, not a curse…
20/20 vision like mine, is something much, much worse

h-o-p-e
hope is jist a 4-letter word, [...] that’ll immobilize you!
A 20/20 Handicap [...] 20/20 vision like mine, is something much, much worse
<beatnik finger snapping>

In my opinion Hope is the thing that keeps you fighting. Without it you just give up. ...Optimism on the other hand, that just gets a bit to much. I mean, it's one thing to hope things are gonna get better, but it's not good to expect them to just turn out all right.

Hope for the best, expect the worst.

"Hope for the best, prepare for the worst."

Hope can give you the strength to go on. Sometimes its the only thing that makes you stand up day after day.
But to rely on it totally, hoping that things will get better by themselves, hoping that the fates will realign the world for you, is the ultimate in foolishness.

Used wisely hope can be your greatest shield, unwisely it will drag you and all your dreams down into the abyss.

"Hope for the best, prepare for the worst."

That's similar to something a friend once told me... its not original but i've always liked it:

Hope for the best, expect the worst and just take whatever comes.

imo, ol' norman vp had it backwards... i believe in 'the power of negative thinking'... here's why:

if you're prepared for the worst and it happens, you'll be able to deal with it... and if something better happens, it's icing on the cake! ;-)

But in religious terms, it's the opposite: If you go for the Big Guy in the Sky and it all turns out to be true, you're better off, and if it doesn't work out, no harm done!

right, but i don't believe in any god or religion, so that's not a sense-making option for me...