"Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence." - Helen Keller

Image provided by Andy Tindor

What is an Act of Hope?

Acts of hope strive to counteract the global effect of despair that is created by acts of violence. Violence seems to be a never-ending problem, a dominant and recurring part of human history with no apparent solution. Certain groups seem to choose violence more often than others and seem destined to resort to it whenever conflict arises. Whether battered wife or child, nation or neighborhood, if ruled by continual violence despair results as citizens begin to believe that there is no place of safety and no hope for positive change in their lives.

Hope is essential to life. If we do not have a possibility that things can improve for us we refuse to take reasonable risks and we stop growing. Hope feeds courage and is necessary for survival. Infant or elder, citizen or soldier, without hope we simply give up and die. The seniors describe their experiences with this process with statements like, “Once George was put in the nursing home, he just didn’t care anymore.” Or “After Dad died, Mom just gave up on life.” They had seen firsthand the withering of human spirit and were powerless to stop it. They had seen it end in death. In these situations, what appeared to be overwhelming to the individual was. Yet there are many stories of human struggle during war and disaster that describe a point during the crisis where citizens were forced to choose between life and death, hope and despair. We can only hear from those who in the midst of a threat or crisis, fought on.

Acts of hope are those actions that show a positive belief in the future, a belief that humans can overcome adversity and an intuitive awareness that there is more to life than death. Acts of hope can cost little, using the self and senses to provide encouragement, touch, listening or affirmation to someone in pain.