Goal

Today, I want to discuss why you should have hope and how you earn your hope.

Table of Contents

What Is Hope?

hope | man with plant in hand

Hope is earned by building a meaningful future for yourself.

“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift of God, which is why we call it the present.” – Bill Keane

Hope is “a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.”

You earn hope. Hope is not blind optimism that tomorrow will improve. It is confidence in a worthwhile future secured through character growth, better habits, and the pursuit of virtue.

Recent Events Will Challenge Anyone’s Hope

riots not peaceful protests

If you focus on the irrationality of the world, then you will never have hope.

2020 delivered government shutdowns, a deadly virus, and riots. These struggles have fractured civilization. Thus, extremism grows, the media lies, people refuse to see reason, and the government pulls at the strings.

We have many cases of how fractured civilization is. For example, how do we respond to irrational claims of racism? We ignore the innocent while refusing to judge criminals. How do we respond to a threatening virus? We quarantine everyone instead of protecting the most vulnerable. How do we deal with a dying economy? Expand poisonous fiat currency.

We respond to economic downturns, collectivist non-standards, and the failure of the political system by clamoring for more collectivism and short-sighted “solutions.”

With no easy solutions and the world decidedly losing its mind, why should you have hope?

If Life Is Always Difficult, Then Why Have Hope?

be grateful | water system farm

In just a few decades, life has drastically improved. We have better technology, farming devices, and an abundance of opportunities.

“The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater.” – J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

We must recognize how blase this all is. Civilizations always flirt with collapse. Social unrest, government growth, and dying economies are the expected consequences of collectivism. Thus, none of the current events should surprise you.

But if people are always determined to drown themselves in destructive collectivism, then why should you have hope for the future? You shouldn’t. You will never have hope if you crave for a rational society. Yet, if you focus on creating your future, you will have hope.

Hope is a belief in a worthwhile tomorrow. You create a worthwhile tomorrow through virtue, self-ownership, and self-improvement. If you focus on improving your present to build a sustainable future, then you have confidence in your ability to weather any storm.

How Do You Earn Your Hope?

earn hope | man staring at light

Hope, like freedom, is earned through virtue.

  1. Cover the basics – Focus on the essentials – eat healthy food, drink water, exercise regularly, and sleep when you should. Properly maintain your body to cleanse your mind and strengthen your confidence.
  2. Cut back on nonessentials – Are you anxious about time and money? Learn how to live without cable, junk food, and other vices. Not everything has to go. For example, I play games a few hours a week to help with anxiety. However, I no longer watch YouTube videos, lurk in forums, or read political nonsense. With more time and money, I can invest in my worthwhile future.
  3. Get your money in order – It’s time to get out of debt and increase what you earn. Create a budget and stick to it. After cutting back the nonessentials, you should have more money. Also, find a well-paying job. If your skills are no longer needed, then retrain. If you have no skills, then learn some. If you’re able, grab a few more jobs or shifts. Is it unfair you have to work harder? Sure? I mean, you can plow forward to escape the madness around you or wallow in self-pity. However, the only way to escape our collectivist culture is through the responsibilities you don’t want to embrace.
  4. Stock Up – Gather a supply of food, water, and other essentials such as first aid kits. Get a gun or two. Not all of us are fully-prepared, rugged homesteaders. However, we can work in that direction. Thus, focus on being prepared for burglaries, the lights going out for a few days, or the water being turned off. With your essentials met, you can have more confidence in your ability to weather challenges.
  5. Meditate, Pray, and Keep track of your accomplishments – Celebrate every little victory and have rational pride in the individual you are becoming. Additionally, if things feel weighty, then pray or seek professional help. Journal. Meditate. Always find moments to cry, punch a few pillows, or yell at the world. These moments are not a sign of “weakness” but the signs of progress. Attending to your mental health gives you hope for the future you are building.
  6. Be generous, patient, and find community – If you make more than you need, then consider donating to charities. Offer your time to those in need. Give blood. Help your neighbors and friends with major or minor tasks. When you help others, you build a positive future for those around you.

You Must Have Hope In Yourself, Not The World

never give up | sign

You can have the world you want free from collectivists and their mayhem.

“Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed.” – Alexander Pope

Hope won’t desensitize you to the horrors of the world. No, you are not crazy. The world is crazy. The riots are evil, the response to COVID-19 was overreaching, and governments and corporations continue to grow unabated. And everyone’s response? Tweets, social media black boxes, calls for more socialism, and censorship of nuanced, rational voices.

I have very little hope for the world. I think people will continue to tear each other apart as their governments take everything from them. However, I have hope my community has the virtues needed to withstand any difficulties.

This is where your hope will come from. In confidence in yourself.

So, earn your hope. Or, you can keep tweeting, looking at porn, consuming junk food, and hating everyone who tells you to be your best self.

Reading List

  • True Believer – Although disheartening, Eric Hoffer’s book will help you understand why people flock to collectivism despite the failings and violence of systems and ideas such as racism, socialism, nationalism, and others. The more you understand, the more you can rationally respond to the disturbing actions of others.
  • Finding True Happiness – This book will convince you of the importance of charity and patience. The more you can help others, the better you can learn to deal with your insecurities.
  • 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos – The only way to a stable mind is through self-growth. 12 Rules outlines the rules you need to defeat your vices and excel at your virtues.

Actionables

  1. What are you the most stressed about?
  2. What disappoints you the most about society?
  3. What is your plan for accomplishing the list above? What steps will be involved for you to win your hope?

Please remember that it’s important to do the actionables. You’re not on this earth to simply read but to do. To become an individual, you must act more than you consume.

*Image credit to Unsplash.