On The Perils of Hope
Whenever you cross your fingers.
“‘Cease to hope and you will cease to fear.’…The primary cause of both these ills is that instead of adapting ourselves to present circumstances we send out thoughts too far ahead.” - Seneca
You know that feeling whenever you cross your fingers, saying a small prayer that what you’re afraid of isn’t true, that what you’re hoping for is true? You hear a strange sound while driving and hope it isn’t a flat tire. You refresh your inbox, hoping your name’s on the list- that you passed, got the job, made it through to the next stage. Or stare at your phone wishing your crush would reply. We live in that fragile space between hoping and fearing- caught between wanting things to go right and dreading that they won’t. It’s human. It’s what makes us so. But it’s also exhausting when every day your peace and happiness depend on what hasn’t yet happened instead of what already is. What’s already here.
The truth is, we often hope not because we believe- in God, ourselves, the process, in lady luck- but because we…
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