29 Sep Hope is definitely not the same thing as optimism – Vaclav Havel
Last week I had the very good fortune to spend two days with a group of therapists in Glasgow, Scotland. Dr. Frank Corrigan invited me to spend time with them in what turns out to be an immensely nourishing experience. Susan Marr is one of the therapists who came. Her wisdom showered us and embraced us with kindness. She shared this quote from Vaclav Havel with us and I, in turn, wanted to share it with you.
Either we have hope within us or we don’t; it is a dimension of the soul, and it’s not dependent on some observation of the world. Hope is an orientation of the spirit, an orientation of the heart; it transcends the world that is immediately experienced, and is anchored somewhere beyond the horizons.
Hope in this deep and powerful sense, is not the same as joy that things are going well, or willingness to invest in enterprises that are obviously heading for success, but rather an ability to work for something because it is good, not just because it stands a chance to succeed.
Hope is definitely not the same thing as optimism.
It is not the conviction, that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out. It is Hope, above all, which gives the strength to live and continually try new things.
~Vaclav Havel