Hope

Hope is an expectation of positive outcomes for future events. Hope is more than a mere wish as hope implies a belief and confidence that positive outcomes will be attained.

Hope is usually viewed as a positive attribute; however, the ancient Greeks were an exception to this view. In the myth of Pandora’s Box, when the box was opened, all the evils of the world flew out to torment mankind. Hope, however, remained in the box. The Greeks were ambivalent as to whether hope was a blessing and consolation to mankind or a curse. Some modern writers have also voiced the view that hope is an evil. For example, Nietzsche stated that hope is the greatest of evils, because it prolongs mankind’s suffering.

Hope is a prevalent and positive theme in the Judeo-Christian tradition. In the Old Testament, hope is placed in God or directed toward God (Psalm 42:5), rather than toward other, less sure means of deliverance (Psalm 33:17; Isaiah 40:31). Those who place their hope in God will not be...