Hope

I was a little surprised earlier this week on Election Day when a co-worker seemed to be skirting the issue of politics at lunch. The topic rarely comes up at work which is probably a good thing. Rational discourse on the matter seems to be rare and the last thing anyone needs is hostile sniping over it. Anyway, she said she had been talking with a friend who apparently said something she liked. "Hope is not a plan." A few people nodded and there was some brief discussion about it with most seeming to be in general agreement. I stayed out of it for the most part because I wasn't sure exactly what to say and whether or not it was a veiled swing at Obama. How could it not be being that hope has been one of the centerpoints of his campaign message?

I've been thinking about that idea all week, though. I've heard other people make similar remarks and you know what? They're right, but it's also just as accurate to say, "Cynicism," (or any other attitude) "is not a plan" and I say that as a confirmed cynic. The idea that hope is not a plan is so simplistic as to be pointless. Yes, if someone just sits around hoping for things to change or get better, no one is going to be surprised when they do not. Desire must be married to action in order to achieve results.

But does that mean we should not ever hope? Not ever be optimistic? Of course not. How many people who have achieved great things do you think would say, "Well, when I started this I was pretty sure I wasn't going to do it and I certainly never 'hoped' I could."? Very few, I'm sure. It might not be on the surface, it might be buried deep and there will certainly be moments of doubt, but great things are achieved when someone has the hope that it can be done and the will to go out and do it. If humans never hoped, we would have died out a long time ago.

Bringing this back to Obama, many have accused him of being all fancy rhetoric and no real action. Perhaps. I don't see that, but, perhaps. Maybe those same people could benefit from hoping that they could make things better in some small way and then going out and doing it rather than sitting at home decrying the "kids these days and their fancy-schmancy hope!"

One could hope, anyway.