Suicide Prevention 31 HAVING HOPE cont’d comparison. When we can come to this understanding we experience a sense of peace, both within and beyond ourselves. In this state we trust life to be a journey of adventure, meaning and worth. Imagine hope as an energy that melts the difference between life and death. Life then is no longer either/or, it becomes more than we can even imagine. Ending life then is not the option for the end of struggle because life is not an endurance test of endless struggle. It is rather a mixture of struggle and strength. This is radical hope because it is often born in a sense of hopelessness. It is a new definition of the meaning of hope, which is not about happiness – rather it is about fullness, meaning and connection. It is being constantly reshaped and redefined, and it is constantly inviting us to the never-ending story of life’s meaning.This is how hope becomes energy for whatever we have to face in life. It is not optimism, rather it is strength of seeking and realism. Hope irks many professionals. Professionals are trained to know. Yet the choice is ours to make in relation to hope. We can open ourselves to the mystery or stay with the illusion of certainty. Books abound on the topic of hope, but before you begin reading take some time to read from the book of your own life. Here some questions that may help you define your meaning of hope: •Who are the most hopeful people you have known in your life? •Who would you call to help with your hope right now? •What images do you have of hope: music, smells, objects, colors, etc.? • How do you nurture and care for your hope? What do you do to increase and strengthen it? •What most threatens your hope? •What do you think false hope is? •Where do you look for hope when you feel hopeless? • Can you remember a story of hope from your own life? •When you close your eyes and try to imagine a picture of hope, what do you see? • If a child asked you right now,“What is hope?” how would you respond? • Do you have a practice of hope? What if you began each day asking, what do I hope for on this day? What if you ended each day with the reflective question,“Where did I find hope today?”
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