Hope In Dark Times

We have (unintentionally?) learned to put our lives together in the shadows of uncertainty. Who determines what is or is not certain? Who gets to make that call? And are the rest of us coerced to believe it and put our lives together upon such despairing doubts?

The journey to despair begins with a wrong turn at the first intersection we encounter. Approaching the intersection we realize that the direction we go will define us in very significant ways that are not immediately apparent to us at the  moment of decision.

Continuing with the metaphor of an intersection, there are signs that advertise what is down the avenue to the left and to the right and straight on. One of the most important jobs of a loving parent is to teach their children how to “read” signs. A fifth grader will find it nearly impossible to conceptualize advertisements in such a way that they remain quite skeptical of the “promises” that advertisers make. So wise parents make choices for their children, not only to protect them from making shipwreck of their lives, but also to teach them how to eventually think for themselves when they come to possess a much more mature grasp of reality.

If uncertainty is the truth, then we have the freedom to make life whatever best fulfills our desire for pleasure and contentment.

Under only one condition does this work well for us: that uncertainty is certain. Yes, it’s a contradiction; but our brains are rewired to neutralize contradictions. Is this a good thing? If the one certainty is that nothing is certain, then of course, it’s a good thing. Except for the fact that we cannot be certain what “a god thing” is.

Are the promises we make certain? Are the promises made to us certain? People make promises at a wedding ceremony. Are they certain? Will the promises be fulfilled? Will the man and the woman actually do what they promise to do?

Hope is a very serious deficiency in a life put together under the terms of uncertainty. Sometimes the very meaning of hope is that it hopes for something that is itself uncertain. We hope for rain; we experience drought. We hope for the best; we plan for the worst.

We choose what we believe. Perhaps at the beginning we choose to believe what the people closest to us believe. This minimizes conflict. Young children know the difference between conflict and congeniality in their relationship with mother and father. But as adolescence transitions to adulthood, we tend to cast off this kind of conformity. We learn that human beings are not meant to accept the “certainty” of someone else’s worldview—not even the worldview of mom and dad.

My website is basically about two things. One is certainty. The other is hope. The main reason why this website exists is to talk about the possibility that hope and certainty belong together. Many of us think that because certainty is not attainable hope is nothing more than naïve optimism. I do not think that this is our only option. Yet I acknowledge that it is very hard to break free of uncertainty. If uncertainty allows me more authority over the living of my own life, well, the gains are more desirable than any potential losses. Where there is uncertainty, we are free to travel on any road we choose. And uncertain future makes every conceivable choice in life just as reasonable as any other choice we might make.

I intend to challenge the accepted notion of uncertainty. I embrace a hope that I know to be certain as to its fulfilment. Yes, the hoped for outcome does lie in the future. Most people think that, of all things, the future is the most uncertain. I do not accept this. You and I should give no one permission to force feed this sort of uncertainty until we choke to death on it. So I invite you to read on. I have not the smallest intention of cramming my worldview down your throat. I only intend to provide a viable alternative to the worldview that is corrupting your hope without your conscious awareness. So at least consider the alternative. Consider the possibility of a hope that is absolutely certain.