Hope and optimism, in my opinion, are connected to happiness. While optimism may take reasoning and facts more seriously, hope depicts a more emotive reaction to a situation, possibly without much thought dramalive.
”Hope is … not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out.”
— Vaclav Havel
Optimism I would consider to be a positive perspective, the glass is half full, a kind of set perpective assuming a positive outcome. Hope to me feels much wider, a perspective of possibility, for the good development of something, often including a process while keeping an eye on the well being of all concerned. Optimism seems to be more a personal perspective on matter where the result seems to be already set in mind, which might not be arriving necessarily, while Hope seems to be touching a spiritual dimension of aspects that matter where it is included that the outcome might be different than wished or expected, leaving space for life´s own wisodm while doing the best to realize what was hoped to develop, a kind of trustful and joyful dance on a rope, so to say,
The hope that is left after all your hopes are gone — that is pure hope, rooted in the heart.
BR. DAVID STEINDL-RAST
Thank you so much Br David . I really feel this so deeply in my heart . True hope it’s being optimistic it’s rooted in the heart . Nothing wrong with optimism to me it’s a bit like forced positivity.
Br Dave’s quote shows us how hope takes action. The selfishness and wanting minds are gone and only Truth remains which is pure. Thank you .
I think both hope and optimism are related to joy. Hope describes a more emotional response to a situation, perhaps without much thinking, while employing optimism may consider logic and facts more strongly.
Well, we can HOPE for the best without being optimistic. We cannot be optimistic without hope however. Hope is about wishes and dreams and desires and optimism is attitude and finding the best in any situation. In a way, hope is heart and optimism is mind.
Hmmm, I don’t use the word “optimism” very often, but I use the word “hope” all the time.
Truth is, I’m not that optimistic of a person. But I seem to be a hopeful person. It’s kind of in my wiring. It may just be a choice of words. Or it may be that I struggle with depression and it clouds my perception. Outwardly, people would probably say that I’m optimistic, but I think that is me trying to provide some assurance or comfort. I know that both of these things, hope and optimism, are projections into the future. I am more comfortable being in this moment with gratitude. 🙏
I’ve been working on a blog post about hope and this may push me into finishing it. The opening at this point:
“I describe myself as a “pragmatic optimist”, meaning that I know I need to put in the work, I’m willing to accept incremental progress as progress, and I do believe we can move toward something better through our commitment and effort. Optimism is defined by some as a less than useful position because they conceive of it as a belief that you already know the outcome will be positive. I’m not that kind of optimist. I don’t wait for the best possible outcome; I work for it. Maybe I’m an optimistic pragmatist instead.”
I’ve been an optimist all my life. I don’t think of that as shallow, or as an unrealistic belief that everything will always turn out great. It’s more that I carry an ability to look for the light, to look for whatever small good is within what’s happening and to seek ways to make things come out better. I’d rather live with that attitude than one of doubt and darkness.
Rebecca Solnit wrote the wonderful book Hope in the Dark, and Krista Tippett has a series on “muscular hope” in the On Being podcast with exercises to prompt deep thinking about the nature of hope.
I’ve been collecting quotations about hope for the post and I’ll share some here. We had one just the other day:
“Hope is like a road in the country; there was never a road, but when many people walk on it, the road comes into existence.
— Lin Yutang
“Hope is often misunderstood. People tend to think that it is simply passive wishful thinking: I hope something will happen but I’m not going to do anything about it. This is indeed the opposite of real hope, which requires action and engagement.”
— Jane Goodall, The Book of Hope
“Hope is not a wish but an intention.”
— Steven Charleston
“Hope is an act of defiance against a politics of pessimism and a culture of despair that depends on us not being able to imagine something better than where we are now.”
— Rabbi Sharon Brous
The last quote, by Rabbi Sharon Brous, is so on point. Apathy/despair as political weapon, imagination fed to us through mass media. We need to actively imagine our future, to co-create it outside of the influence of those in power who wish to keep us passive. Love this quote.
Hope is the faith and confidence that something positive will emerge in the future. For example, putting seeds in the garden, I hope they will grow. Optimism is the daily practice of hope: watering the seeds, fertilizing the soil, adapting to conditions as they change.
Br. David in a essay I keep in my journals says, “To remain open for surprise when everything turns out worse than we could ever imagine – that is hope.” He points out that ‘optimism’ on the other hand, denies reality. I share his words below:
On Pessimism and Optimism by Br. David
A healthy personality does not suppress the dark side, the shadow, but embraces it, redeems it, and so becomes whole.
If many people today are wallowing in pessimism, this may simply be the flip side of a culture in which everybody is expected to keep smiling and “have a nice day.” Someone says, “How are you?” and you respond, “Fine.” Have you ever said anything else in reply to “How are you?” Maybe, but it takes some daring, because no one expects any other answer but “Fine.” “How are you?” is not really a question, but a greeting. And “Fine” is not really an answer, but an acknowledgement of the greeting. “How are you?” “Fine.” The two are inseparable.
Because you so often mindlessly repeat that you are “fine,” you suppress any other answer to the question, “How are you?” What you suppress begins to lead its own life. It gets you from behind, because you are not facing it head on. If you suppress it, the shadow turns into a monster; it becomes life-denying. When this happens, you are confronted with things that are difficult to deal with, difficult to integrate. The shadow – now not seen together with the light, but separated from the light – is prone to perversions and distortions and all sorts of unhealthy developments.
That is why a healthy personality does not suppress the dark side, the shadow, but embraces it, redeems it, and so becomes whole.
Neither optimism nor pessimism is desirable, because neither is realistic, and we know it. When we are in an optimistic mood, we are not interested in reality. “Don’t confuse me with facts, I’m an optimist.” And when we are in a pessimistic mood, we are not concerned with reality either. The attitude that really deals with reality is what religious language calls hope.
To remain open for surprise when everything turns out worse than we could ever imagine – that is hope.
Hope is miles removed from both pessimism and optimism. Hope deals with reality. And reality is surprising. If it’s surprising, it’s real. If it isn’t surprising, it isn’t real. Hope is openness for that surprise. In the full, religious sense, hope is not the conviction that everything will turn out fine. That’s optimism. Hope thrives in the midst of hopelessness. Hopelessness is not the opposite of hope. Despair is the opposite of hope. In the midst of hopelessness, hope thrives because it will not give in to despair. Although the situation is hopeless, there is always room for surprise. Hope says, “Let’s stay open for surprise.” Not the surprise of a happy ending, Hollywood style. That’s mere optimism and it is proved unrealistic at every turn. But to remain open for surprise when everything turns out worse than we could ever imagine – that is hope. Despair assigns reality a deadline. Hope knows that there are no deadlines for reality. That is why hope thrives in the midst of hopelessness.
Today we have cheapened hope to optimism, and so we get the backlash, which is this wallowing in pessimism and despair. Despair doesn’t allow reality to surprise us. But hope expects reality to surprise itself.
If we have hope, we create a hopeful reality. Our openness for surprise challenges reality. It’s like a mother who looks at the child and says, “Surprise me.” And the child surprises her. Children surprise themselves in the process. We surprise ourselves if we live up to the expectations of somebody who looks at us with eyes of hope and thereby creates the space into which we can grow. This motherly attitude is the one we ought to have toward people who are caught up in pessimism, darkness, or despair, rather than to write them off or contradict them. That’s what they want, to be contradicted. But rather look at them with eyes that say, ”Surprise me,” and they will surprise you.
Reprinted from The Sun (Issue 137, April 1987, pp. 20-23) and originally given as a talk at a 1986 Sufi retreat in Lebanon Springs, New York.
Carol Ann, I’ve read similar writings in the past from others about optimism being unrealistic. That isn’t the form of optimism I carry with me. I don’t feel a conviction that everything will turn out fine. It’s more that I carry an attitude of looking forward, finding light wherever it shines, expecting that I can keep moving through whatever is happening now and come out the other side. I’d rather have this feeling than a sense of darkness and doom and expecting the worst, which is how I view pessimism.
I think it is because they define optimism as denying reality but I do hear what your saying. Many times when “what is” disturbs me, I say, “What can I learn from this?
I wonder if we could add more words to the English language to catch these nuances around optimism. I struggled with the definition of optimism, because it can be seen and defined multiple ways. Seen in light of modern psychology, both optimism and pessimism as stable worldviews could be defined as trauma responses. Moreover, especially in the US, optimism has long been weaponized. I kinda wonder if we’re using 1800’s language to define a much more nuanced and interesting set of dynamics.
Based upon the answers written here, I use to be closer to optimism, because it feels more realistic. Convertion to Christianity has shifted me closer to hope. With and through god, anything is possible. Today’s verse of the day is Romans 10:17 “So faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of Christ.”
Hope is similar to the blood running through us…we need hope to live. Hope for me is rooted in faith- something that I cannot imagine being without. Optimism is external….that of the world we live..looking for the positive.
I agree with you Michele, though I’d say hope relies on faith, perhaps some belief.
Faith is trusting, not needing to know how or why. Like having faith that love will triumph in the end. For me, that is the foundation of hope.
The word belief, for me presumes some level of certitude that I can’t always muster.
Optimism is looking through rose colored glasses, magical thinking that things will go well.
Faith marches on whether things go well or not.
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Hope and optimism, in my opinion, are connected to happiness. While optimism may take reasoning and facts more seriously, hope depicts a more emotive reaction to a situation, possibly without much thought dramalive.
Hope is a desire that something good will happen. Optimism is more of an attitude that good will happen, being positive.
”Hope is … not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out.”
— Vaclav Havel
Optimism I would consider to be a positive perspective, the glass is half full, a kind of set perpective assuming a positive outcome. Hope to me feels much wider, a perspective of possibility, for the good development of something, often including a process while keeping an eye on the well being of all concerned. Optimism seems to be more a personal perspective on matter where the result seems to be already set in mind, which might not be arriving necessarily, while Hope seems to be touching a spiritual dimension of aspects that matter where it is included that the outcome might be different than wished or expected, leaving space for life´s own wisodm while doing the best to realize what was hoped to develop, a kind of trustful and joyful dance on a rope, so to say,
I love this,
dear Ose . . . ♥
“…a kind of trustful and joyful dance on a rope,
so to say.”
The hope that is left after all your hopes are gone — that is pure hope, rooted in the heart.
BR. DAVID STEINDL-RAST
Thank you so much Br David . I really feel this so deeply in my heart . True hope it’s being optimistic it’s rooted in the heart . Nothing wrong with optimism to me it’s a bit like forced positivity.
Br Dave’s quote shows us how hope takes action. The selfishness and wanting minds are gone and only Truth remains which is pure. Thank you .
I think both hope and optimism are related to joy. Hope describes a more emotional response to a situation, perhaps without much thinking, while employing optimism may consider logic and facts more strongly.
Well, we can HOPE for the best without being optimistic. We cannot be optimistic without hope however. Hope is about wishes and dreams and desires and optimism is attitude and finding the best in any situation. In a way, hope is heart and optimism is mind.
Hmmm, I don’t use the word “optimism” very often, but I use the word “hope” all the time.
Truth is, I’m not that optimistic of a person. But I seem to be a hopeful person. It’s kind of in my wiring. It may just be a choice of words. Or it may be that I struggle with depression and it clouds my perception. Outwardly, people would probably say that I’m optimistic, but I think that is me trying to provide some assurance or comfort. I know that both of these things, hope and optimism, are projections into the future. I am more comfortable being in this moment with gratitude. 🙏
I’ve been working on a blog post about hope and this may push me into finishing it. The opening at this point:
“I describe myself as a “pragmatic optimist”, meaning that I know I need to put in the work, I’m willing to accept incremental progress as progress, and I do believe we can move toward something better through our commitment and effort. Optimism is defined by some as a less than useful position because they conceive of it as a belief that you already know the outcome will be positive. I’m not that kind of optimist. I don’t wait for the best possible outcome; I work for it. Maybe I’m an optimistic pragmatist instead.”
I’ve been an optimist all my life. I don’t think of that as shallow, or as an unrealistic belief that everything will always turn out great. It’s more that I carry an ability to look for the light, to look for whatever small good is within what’s happening and to seek ways to make things come out better. I’d rather live with that attitude than one of doubt and darkness.
Rebecca Solnit wrote the wonderful book Hope in the Dark, and Krista Tippett has a series on “muscular hope” in the On Being podcast with exercises to prompt deep thinking about the nature of hope.
I’ve been collecting quotations about hope for the post and I’ll share some here. We had one just the other day:
“Hope is like a road in the country; there was never a road, but when many people walk on it, the road comes into existence.
— Lin Yutang
“Hope is often misunderstood. People tend to think that it is simply passive wishful thinking: I hope something will happen but I’m not going to do anything about it. This is indeed the opposite of real hope, which requires action and engagement.”
— Jane Goodall, The Book of Hope
“Hope is not a wish but an intention.”
— Steven Charleston
“Hope is an act of defiance against a politics of pessimism and a culture of despair that depends on us not being able to imagine something better than where we are now.”
— Rabbi Sharon Brous
“… I don’t wait for the best possible outcome; I work for it. Maybe I’m an optimistic pragmatist instead.”
Perhaps you are,
dear Barb. 🙂
The last quote, by Rabbi Sharon Brous, is so on point. Apathy/despair as political weapon, imagination fed to us through mass media. We need to actively imagine our future, to co-create it outside of the influence of those in power who wish to keep us passive. Love this quote.
Hope is the faith and confidence that something positive will emerge in the future. For example, putting seeds in the garden, I hope they will grow. Optimism is the daily practice of hope: watering the seeds, fertilizing the soil, adapting to conditions as they change.
I love this.
Br. David in a essay I keep in my journals says, “To remain open for surprise when everything turns out worse than we could ever imagine – that is hope.” He points out that ‘optimism’ on the other hand, denies reality. I share his words below:
On Pessimism and Optimism by Br. David
A healthy personality does not suppress the dark side, the shadow, but embraces it, redeems it, and so becomes whole.
If many people today are wallowing in pessimism, this may simply be the flip side of a culture in which everybody is expected to keep smiling and “have a nice day.” Someone says, “How are you?” and you respond, “Fine.” Have you ever said anything else in reply to “How are you?” Maybe, but it takes some daring, because no one expects any other answer but “Fine.” “How are you?” is not really a question, but a greeting. And “Fine” is not really an answer, but an acknowledgement of the greeting. “How are you?” “Fine.” The two are inseparable.
Because you so often mindlessly repeat that you are “fine,” you suppress any other answer to the question, “How are you?” What you suppress begins to lead its own life. It gets you from behind, because you are not facing it head on. If you suppress it, the shadow turns into a monster; it becomes life-denying. When this happens, you are confronted with things that are difficult to deal with, difficult to integrate. The shadow – now not seen together with the light, but separated from the light – is prone to perversions and distortions and all sorts of unhealthy developments.
That is why a healthy personality does not suppress the dark side, the shadow, but embraces it, redeems it, and so becomes whole.
Neither optimism nor pessimism is desirable, because neither is realistic, and we know it. When we are in an optimistic mood, we are not interested in reality. “Don’t confuse me with facts, I’m an optimist.” And when we are in a pessimistic mood, we are not concerned with reality either. The attitude that really deals with reality is what religious language calls hope.
To remain open for surprise when everything turns out worse than we could ever imagine – that is hope.
Hope is miles removed from both pessimism and optimism. Hope deals with reality. And reality is surprising. If it’s surprising, it’s real. If it isn’t surprising, it isn’t real. Hope is openness for that surprise. In the full, religious sense, hope is not the conviction that everything will turn out fine. That’s optimism. Hope thrives in the midst of hopelessness. Hopelessness is not the opposite of hope. Despair is the opposite of hope. In the midst of hopelessness, hope thrives because it will not give in to despair. Although the situation is hopeless, there is always room for surprise. Hope says, “Let’s stay open for surprise.” Not the surprise of a happy ending, Hollywood style. That’s mere optimism and it is proved unrealistic at every turn. But to remain open for surprise when everything turns out worse than we could ever imagine – that is hope. Despair assigns reality a deadline. Hope knows that there are no deadlines for reality. That is why hope thrives in the midst of hopelessness.
Today we have cheapened hope to optimism, and so we get the backlash, which is this wallowing in pessimism and despair. Despair doesn’t allow reality to surprise us. But hope expects reality to surprise itself.
If we have hope, we create a hopeful reality. Our openness for surprise challenges reality. It’s like a mother who looks at the child and says, “Surprise me.” And the child surprises her. Children surprise themselves in the process. We surprise ourselves if we live up to the expectations of somebody who looks at us with eyes of hope and thereby creates the space into which we can grow. This motherly attitude is the one we ought to have toward people who are caught up in pessimism, darkness, or despair, rather than to write them off or contradict them. That’s what they want, to be contradicted. But rather look at them with eyes that say, ”Surprise me,” and they will surprise you.
Reprinted from The Sun (Issue 137, April 1987, pp. 20-23) and originally given as a talk at a 1986 Sufi retreat in Lebanon Springs, New York.
Thank you for posting Br. David’s article – I enjoyed it.
Thank you for that essay (printed talk) from Br. David, Carol Ann. A very good read and thought provoking.
Joseph, you are most welcome.
Carol Ann, I’ve read similar writings in the past from others about optimism being unrealistic. That isn’t the form of optimism I carry with me. I don’t feel a conviction that everything will turn out fine. It’s more that I carry an attitude of looking forward, finding light wherever it shines, expecting that I can keep moving through whatever is happening now and come out the other side. I’d rather have this feeling than a sense of darkness and doom and expecting the worst, which is how I view pessimism.
I think it is because they define optimism as denying reality but I do hear what your saying. Many times when “what is” disturbs me, I say, “What can I learn from this?
I wonder if we could add more words to the English language to catch these nuances around optimism. I struggled with the definition of optimism, because it can be seen and defined multiple ways. Seen in light of modern psychology, both optimism and pessimism as stable worldviews could be defined as trauma responses. Moreover, especially in the US, optimism has long been weaponized. I kinda wonder if we’re using 1800’s language to define a much more nuanced and interesting set of dynamics.
I hear you.
Based upon the answers written here, I use to be closer to optimism, because it feels more realistic. Convertion to Christianity has shifted me closer to hope. With and through god, anything is possible. Today’s verse of the day is Romans 10:17 “So faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of Christ.”
Hope is found within, internal faith and trust. Optimism is a mental decision, almost an attitude chosen.
Hope is similar to the blood running through us…we need hope to live. Hope for me is rooted in faith- something that I cannot imagine being without. Optimism is external….that of the world we live..looking for the positive.
Hope relies on belief, perhaps some faith.
Optimism seems to go with facts, reality.
I agree with you Michele, though I’d say hope relies on faith, perhaps some belief.
Faith is trusting, not needing to know how or why. Like having faith that love will triumph in the end. For me, that is the foundation of hope.
The word belief, for me presumes some level of certitude that I can’t always muster.
Optimism is looking through rose colored glasses, magical thinking that things will go well.
Faith marches on whether things go well or not.
TOMG, You would enjoy reading Br. David’s essay which I posted today here on the Daily Question.