Hope is an excellent strategy – as published in the Rocky Mountain Outlook, July 15, 2021

Has it ever happened to you? You were having a conversation with another person who just posed a question.

You then took a deep breath, paused and replied, “Well, I hope so.”

To which the person on the other side of the table or telephone line replied abruptly, “Pfft. Well, hope is not a strategy.”

A bitter cloud of cold silence then hung between the two of you, as you wondered if the other person was offended or angry or simply having a bad day. You also knew that right then and there, the conversation was over.

If you have been in that situation and never had a good reply, the case for support that validates hope as strategy is available. In her book, “Hope Matters” Elin Kelsey offers an evidence-based case for hope, and considers a hopeful mindset as a critical starting place when challenging the big threats we face, most notably climate change. The full title of the book is: “Hope Matters: Why Changing the Way we Think is Critical to Solving the Environmental Crisis.”

This column adheres to the philosophy that challenging questions need new energy and positive action. Clearly, we cannot keep approaching our doomsday scenarios and overwhelming odds, with attitudes that drive inaction and despair. Rather than frame every conversation with cynicism, negativity and scenarios that keep us feeling insignificant, powerless and doomed, Ms. Kelsey cites the research found in papers such as:

• “Hope is a Key Factor in Recovering from Anxiety Disorders”
• “Doom and Gloom: The Role of the Media in Public Disengagement on Climate Change”
• “The Science of Optimism and Hope” a compilation of research essays
• “The Science of How Mindset Transforms the Human Experience”
• “Being Hopeful: Exploring the Dynamics of Post-traumatic Growth and Hope in Refugees”

Hope infuses plans with positivity and possibility. Imagine! Hope has the potential to help people move into a condition of “Post-traumatic Growth,” even when they have faced extreme adversity and trauma. Hope can help people feel less victimized and realize new possibilities, when anchored in hopeful self-awareness.

Ms. Kelsey describes hope as “a genetically encoded element” that thrives when babies are nurtured in a positive environment. “Hope is innate,” she writes, and nurturing children is a good start. Hope also needs compassionate care to grow and flourish and it can wither if it does not receive attention and encouragement. In our vulnerable moments, we must be very careful to not quash hope with an abrupt comment or clichéd quip.

Leading environmental thinker David Orr, may have said it best: “Hope is a verb with its sleeves rolled up.” Hope is a verb; it is an action word.

Contrary to what the contrarians might have you believe – hope does not increase our levels of complacency but can ignite our minds with a rocket fuel that defies despondency. Hope is not the same as wishful thinking. It elevates our thinking to rise above apathy, cynicism or despair. With hope, we experience optimism, appreciation and yes, we feel more grateful.

The next time you hear someone suggest that “Hope is not strategy,” challenge that person to think again. With solid science backing you, you can assert that hope is part of good planning because it inspires positivity, confidence, and self-awareness. Hope is about protecting the things we truly value – you know, things like clean air, clean water, respectful relationships, social equity, and living a life full of meaning and purpose.

Next time, challenge the glib response by asking, “You kidding me? Hope is an excellent strategy. It means I am aware of what is at stake, and I am willing to roll up my sleeves and help good things to happen.”