A Ritual of Hope

Hello Reality,

People say when it rains, it pours. This time is no different. The path you're on doesn't always lead to a happy ending, whoever you are. You're always at jeopardy of falling into a fate you'd rather avoid. If you care not to fall, protect yourself from chance with one degree of separation from danger. One degree is all you need, but make it real. That's one degree of separation between you and behaviors you can't control, between you and the possibility your hopes don't happen. Hopes — how do you make them happen? Consider the question. How do you give them "agency" in the now? Don't think about it too much, make them visual, could be as easy as that.

There's a dialogue between hope and frustration. You look back, wishing you had done what is now utterly impossible. With your hope extinguished, you clamor for a new one. It's essential, you need hope to keep yourself going. Why get out of bed otherwise? That's what hopes do, they animate your day-in-the-life. If you ever feel this way, look for Michael Nyman's Fish Beach. It's a musical piece about newfound hope, listen to it. It makes you think, reminds you there is always more to appreciate. Take a deep breathe as you look around, you will find it. When you do, muster commitment. The value of your conviction towards hope, it becomes real when you make them happen. You can feel it, may you come to feel it.

It helps to appreciate the connection between meaning and causality. Meaning is what you mean to "cause" or "bring into happening". Your hopes are meaningful, that's why they make your days make sense. With this in mind, you may ask yourself... What is the meaning of the things you do today? Are they precipitating your hopes or what are they precipitating? Things get in the way, you end up doing other things, it's not your fault. Remember, hopes are not tangible and it's hard to act in relation to something that is not present. Give them presence.

One degree, make it real. Don't let yourself get close to forgetting what you long for, stay away from not acting towards the fate you want for yourself and those you care for. Reminding yourself is a ritual, a ritual of hope.

Wishing you well, Aesthes