Our hearts all yearn for a better tomorrow, but hope is not simply wishful thinking. Hope is ‘confident expectation in a change in direction’.
Sherwin Nuland, is a surgeon, author and inspirational speaker. In this TED Talks presentation he mentions that the Oxford English Dictionary lists 14 definitions of hope but none truly hit the mark. Nuland speaks of moral imagination and the world as a patient in its original sense. We are the healers of the world through compassion, commitment, and persistence. Source
A courageous person, confronts fear and in overcoming fear strengthens their self-confidence. Whether or not you succeed in achieving any goal isn’t the point. The point is that you gave it your best and you have the ‘confident expectation’ of doing better next time, for every failure is a stepping stone to future success.
An excellent working definition of courage is found in this quote from the Wisdom Commons:
Courage is summoning strength in the face of life’s difficulties or, sometimes, life’s horrors. It mean proceeding in spite of pain, cost, or risk. Courage is not the absence of fear, but the deliberate decision that action is necessary regardless. Courage acknowledges uncertainty, but perseveres because of conviction and resolve. It offers us focus and self-possession so we can call up our competencies to meet our challenges.
Courage is not necessarily an outward act of heroism; it can be purely internal, such as making the decision to be cheerful in grief, to adhere to values different from those around us, or to give something another try.
Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is accepting reality even when one dislikes it. Courage is employing skillful means like taking steps to correct wrongs. It takes courage to take skillful action that heals brokenness and pain. It also takes courage to rise above fear and provide comfort where it is needed.
“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.”– Mahatma Gandhi
I acknowledge that I am stong willed and derive some strength from my personality type. I also know my strength arises from the challenges have fearlessly overcome with hope, courage, and other skillful means. What are your thoughts on and experiences of hope, courage and strength?
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Hi again TT!
You’re very welcome. Yes, I did read Crystal’s comment and couldn’t agree more… especially when she mentions having the courage to believe in Hope no matter what.
I’m right there.
May I also take this opportunity to deeply thank you for subscribing to my blog Active Intuition… what a wonderful surprise as I logged in tonight!
May life treats you well, with love and light always~~~
Tree Spirit
Hi TT,
Sorry for being a bit late on this one. Haven’t been on WP much lately.
Now… your post here. I love to read it all and couldn’t help thinking that sometimes (too many times, perhaps) the only hope is to hand it all over to the Universe and let the law of attraction take care of our dreams and hopes.
I personaly hope that a miracle is iminent at any moment. My hope is huge.
Sending you my love and light for better times to you too.
Tree Spirit xx
@treespirit
Not to worry as I’m always behind too. Thanks so much for making the point you did.
Did you read Crystal’s beautifully written comment? It touched me very deeply. I would have loved to have published it as a part of my post.
Thanks for the love and light blessing. May love and peace be with you always.
TiTi
Courage is what will brings us out of fear… and without fear we can know ourselves and other… we begin our pathway towards happiness. Thanks for this wonderful post.
Hello there,
Thank you so much for your visit and comment too. I’m not sure that those would are courageous feel a cessation of fear. I think hope and courage give us the strength required to rise above fear.
I’ve thought about all the comments as well as your article, TiTi. I look back over my life, not just my recent battle/journey, and try to think of myself as having “courage” or “strength”, yet I would probably only every think of “strength” as being a trait of mine. “Courage”? Did/do I have courage? I understand where HB is coming from, I think perhaps that is a perspective which we apply to ourselves more than to others. I see others as courageous, just not myself.
Yet I am reminded of a young woman telling me once that she wished she had the courage to do what I had done, move countries. She found travelling 100 kilometres too much of a challenge. Yet I did not see moving countries as being courageous.
Was fighting my government courageous? Perhaps, I do not know. I just wanted my family home, so I fought.
Hope. I’m not sure how I feel about hope. I think many people hope without direction. Is hope without direction merely dreaming?
I really cannot get my thoughts around it, I am finding. Very thought provoking concepts.
Thanks for commenting Robyn. What you say is interesting as I do think of you as being strong and courageous. If you haven’t had hope then I don’t think you would have endured. I’m in a sorry state right now. Others think I’m brave and strong but I’m not so sure about that. As for hope I have it . It springs from somewhere deep inside. Maybe hope is a bud that’s destined to flower and despair is the bud that’s destined to die on the vine.
I’m too far away to be of any practical help, but if I can be of any sort of support, you know where to find me.
Thanks Robyn. I appreciate knowing you care for me and about me.
Matters such as “courage”, frankly, confuse me. “Courage”, as it is often spoken of, seems a sort of add-on. That is, we usually say someone faced a difficulty “with courage”.
I think that “courage” is something a person him/herself never really feels, and is never something one can add to an action or event. Instead, we use the term “courage” to describe simply the occasion of a person who does not flee a situation into comfort or momentary safety, but deals with a situation honestly, with eyes wide open.
My point, insofar as I have one, is that people should not pursue courage itself. “Courage” is merely the compliment we pay to someone who acted skillfully in a situation. “Courage” itself is not a trait one has, it is a salute one gives.
Now “hope”… that seems something else entirely…
Thanks for your thoughtful comment. I appreciate where you are coming from and what you said too.
Hi TT! I, too, derive my strength through introspection, conquering my internal fears, and expressing the life within me in happiness and compassion. Thanks for this thoughtful post :)
I employ the same techniques. Thanks so much for commenting.
What an excellent and inspiring post, TiTi. I love the definition of courage, especially the last line: “Courage is not necessarily an outward act of heroism; it can be purely internal, such as making the decision to be cheerful in grief, to adhere to values different from those around us, or to give something another try.”
Growing up on movies and all sorts of media and hype, it’s easy for us to forget that those of us who live quietly and face our challenges and prevail through small victories, are heroes in as true a sense as someone who scales a peak, or invents something, or saves a life. It’s all good.
Thanks for the great post. I like it so much that I’m tweeting it and sharing it on FB.
I hope you are well and your foot is healed, TiTi.
Hello Lynda,
You are correct that we tend to overlook or minimize small victories when we ought to be celebrating them. I’m pleased you like this post enough to share it with others. My foot is almost healed. It’s till a little on the frail side but I’m getting around much better now.
Love this, TT. It’s easy to be hopeful when your life is full of sunshine and roses. Those that can find hope in the bleakest of situations are truly blessed. It gives them the strength to move on and head toward change.
Hi Janene,
What you have said it so true. Enjoy your vacation.
A wonderful post and one we can all take courage and hope from. What you said is so true. I’ve always told others when asked how I got through a difficult time: “I just keep on keeping on.” Perserverence, patience and faith in a higher power are key. Thanks for writing!
Hi Carol,
Thanks for finding value in this post and for commenting to share as well.
Hi Timethief,
Thanks for posting for me hope, strength and courage is our anchor in life. These are the virtues that God wants us to posses. Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing,so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. I always read this verse in the bible in my daily battles in life. Like right now sometimes I lose hope about my website business, it is so hard to market a business, but I have to think positive and move on to some wonderful thoughts.
Nuland’s definition of Hope reminds me of Micawber’s remark in “David Copperfield” concerning his present difficult circumstances: “I am confidently expecting something to turn up.” I think the only kind of courage that really matters is what keeps you moving forward from one ordinary day to the next. It’s not extraordinary, it’s not heroic, it’s not even an act of will-it’s just the dynamic of Life itself.
I agree with you Marty. Thanks for commenting. As I’m sure you can detect I’m withdrawn & attempting to escape from the chrysalis. I’m tending my garden and moving forward slowly by doing all the ordinary things in life while waiting for the sun to shine again.
Hello timethief,
What a deep post and interesting discussion in the comments. I love this line in particular: “We are the healers of the world through compassion, commitment, and persistence.”
I agree with you completely that we gain so much through facing challenges with strength and courage and the definitions here are very clarifying as to what those words really mean. One of my spiritual teachers always said that “hope and flea are the real demons.” Surely we do wish to move forward, to become better human beings and contribute to a better world. In that sense, having a positive vision is really important. At the same time, having too much hope can also generate suffering.
It’s an interesting balance to achieve.
This is a wonderful topic for reflection. Thank you.
Hi Sandra,
I’m glad that line resonated with you as it is my truth. I’m persistent and committed but I’m not always compassionate. I acknowllege this and move forward slowly opening my heart a little more whenever I can.
Iti is encouraging (!) to see the statement that courage is also adhering to one’s own values even when different from those around us. I found this quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson when I was a teenager, and have hung on to it all my life: It is easy in the world to live after the world’s opinion, it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.
Thanks for the thought provoking post and links, as always. Love the new look of the blog, by the way. Take care TiTi!
Hi Cynthia,
Thanks for the quote. It’s excellent. Thanks also for the compliment on the theme change. I have some more changes yet to make.
Love and peace,
TiTi
Thoughts on hope, strength and courage:
This would require at this time, a certain amount of thought compared to even 12 months ago when I would have responded almost more blithely and quickly.
I only feel courageous, strong and therefore hopeful, if I’m not in denial. Or when truth, reality lights upon me at times and then I realize how different things are now, sadder now compared to 12 months ago.
I am hopeful because I am alive and want to be alive.
I suppose I’m courageous because I moved to a completely different province from a city that I loved, because of the reality of wanting a job. And it happened around time of my sister’s death.
I guess I’m strong because of the above and because I have knowledge and faith in those who love me and care about my existence. It is the knowledge of other people’s love that can help a person immensely even if the people are living far away.
But thinking about all this now, I’m not sure what is keeping me afloat because I know other people would have fallen apart for many months, if they were in the same shoes as I.
I don’t feel great from this self-knowledge. Just wondering and sad.
Hi Jean,
You have had a tumultuous year and part of it was all about endings. Your sister’s end was unexpected and very sad. Leaving a city you loved is also sad but in other ways you have experienced beginnings. Your blogs are outstanding works that showcase your creative gifts in writing and in photography. Most of all you love and you are loved.
Love you,
TiTi
Appreciate your kind thoughts, TiTi. I will be visiting Toronto this fall since my father has cancer (he’s ok for now). And also drop by my sister’s gravesite which I didn’t fly out because she was buried a month later officially.
Long story. My memories are of dreams at times. It’s a like a dream that will say with me forever.
What a thoughtful post. I describe myself as….Happy. Which necessitates a certain amount of hope and expectation.
When it comes to courage – my husband is the most courageous person I know and I admire him deeply.
Thanks for sharing your response. Hope can be symbolized by seed that gardeners plant every spring and confidently water with optimism. It’s wonderful to hear your admiration for your husband.
Thank you for a beautiful reminder that failure is a stepping stone to success. Courage, yes.
Sometimes I wonder about how much headway I’m really making. We reach so many crossroads in life and our choices are not always good ones. I can sometimes see I’m on a path that’s parallel to one I’ve trudged along before. But hope for change is the seed thought that leads to ‘confident expectation in a change of direction’.
I hope I have gained enough knowledge from a failure to succeed the next time I try time. Knowing that often achieving success requires successive attempts is only minimally encouraging. Trying again takes courage and determination. But it’s the bright candle of hope that we kindle in our heart that becomes the light that shines in the distance and beckons us to try again.
I grew up in an extremely disfunctional family. My father was mentally ill with bipolar disorder, and sexually abused me until I was old enough to get away. I realized that he was ill and tried to get him in with a mental health professional for a long time. My mother was a selfish and self-absorbed woman who refused to acknowledge her complicity. She fought me over seeking treatment for my father and for the family. I did get him into treatment, finally, but it was too late. He killed himself.
The animosity that my family had for me over my trying to do the right thing escalated over the years. I won’t go into all the details here, but I believe that I survived because I had hope, and the courage to stand by my convictions.
My mother died in 2001, and my younger sister, my mother’s clone, took over as the family matriarch. She was also mentally ill, filled with uncontrollable rage. She died 4 years ago from leukemia. I was not informed of her illness until she was already in a coma.
I have since been thrown out of the family by a brother who is six years my junior, and who is also mentally ill. This was actually a relief to me because for years, they tried to pull me back into the chaos.
So, yes, I believe that hope, courage, and strength can get one through the toughest times in one’s life. It also helped that I was smarter than the rest of my family. My siblings are victims–I am a survivor.
Dear Judie,
I’m honored that you shared this in my blog. Your strength of character, courage and compassion shine through the text. I too am a survivor from a dysfunctional family. All my best to you.
With love,
TiTi
Hi Timethief
This is a really interesting concept and a good theme for philosophical debate. Each of us could describe some aspect of the three virtues of Hope, Courage and Strength and all would touch just a small part of what these actually represent and what it is to be human. Personally I think they are all inter-related, originating from the same source and therefore, rather than approach it from a personal viewpoint I’ve considered it for a little while and these are the first thoughts that came to mind.
Hope is the subliminal tattoo that reaches out into the universe and reverberates back, its echoes being the very fabric and pulse beat of mankind, and without which, we could not survive.
Courage is that small inner voice that, in spite of our fear, becomes a mighty roar to challenge that fear head-on and have done with it. Courage is also having the ability to hold onto Hope, no matter what.
Strength comes from past skirmishes with Hope and Courage. It comes with having had the courage to believe in Hope and the courage to challenge our fears. Strength does not necessarily derive from being victorious, but from when we fall.
A very nice idea Timethief. Warm wishes your way.
Crystal
Dear Crystal,
You said that so beautifully and touched me deeply with your response. Thanks so much for doing so.
Love and peace,
TITi