An Estonian proverb says: “hope is the solace of the fools.” And it’s true. Hope is the retarded sibling of expectation. Hope is wishful thinking. Hope is wanting for things to happen without a reason. Hope can be a remedy for meaninglessness, a distraction from the unbearable present, but only for a short period of time. Sort of like cocaine. It can hit all the sweet spots, make you feel good about yourself, but sooner or later you have to wake up and face the facts - and the facts are telling you: you’re a dreamer, not a doer.

Now, just pure hopelessness isn’t that great either. That’s nihilism. Despair. That’s giving up. Been there, done that. Would not recommend, unless you wanted to lose your will to live. And you can’t be without aims or goals, that’s a surefire way to stay stagnant or fall into regression. That is a necessity from a psychological standpoint, and making progress towards a goal is what gives us a sense of meaning, purpose and fulfillment. But hope is not the answer. You can hope, but sooner or later, your hopes will be dashed. Your dreams - shattered. Your self - left in ruins, once more.

So what is the answer, then? Knowledge - to know that things will get better? Wisdom - to see that things are getting better? Devotion - to work for things to get better? Love - to accept and cherish things even in their imperfectness? Faith…? Wait. What is the difference between hope and faith?

I think faith is the combination of all of the above. It’s the belief in the eternal goodness of the world, it’s the willingness to work without a promise of pay. Above all, it’s the pursuit of the true, the good, and the beautiful, knowing, without a shadow of a doubt, that they exist. Faith is grounded in experience and in the present day. Hope is ungrounded, based on dreams and fantasies, and directed at the future. Faith says: I know I can do this. Hope says: I wish I could do this. Perhaps most importantly, faith is the conviction that whatever happens is the best thing that can happen.

The key aspect of faith, of course, is devotion; work and sacrifice. You don’t wish to be able to do this. You work towards being able to do this. You give up certain things, you put up with certain things, you don’t go looking for comfort or validation or glory. You do it because it calls you. You do it because it’s the right thing to do, because it’s the thing you cannot not do. You do it, even if you fail, you do it again and again, because repetition and iteration are what get you closer to your goal.

And the goal isn’t you, nor the fulfillment of your wishes and desires. It can’t be you, if you’re actually devoted. If you are devoted to a person or a cause, then you do the things you do in order to help that person become the best version of themselves, or in order to make that cause manifest. Of course, in the process of doing so, you will probably become a better person yourself, and in a much more profound and meaningful way than just by setting your own self-development as your goal, because this transformation will be in the service of a higher goal. But if the goal is yourself or just your own well-being from the start, then you will not venture out into the discomfort zone, the unknown, the unlearned; you will not face resistance - and resistance is what makes us grow.

So give up hope and exchange it for faith. Faith in whatever it is that you believe is your highest calling. Faith in whatever it is that you believe will save the world. And devote yourself to it.

Because what else are you going to do with your life that’s worth more than this?