I’ve struggled the last couple of months to write. There has been such negativity, it seems, everywhere I look that I didn’t know what I could possibly write about without anger seeping into my paragraphs!
So, the subject of hope has been waking me up at night, talking to me throughout the day and just nagging at me.
The chemistry of hope. Hope actually has an effect on the brain, and is so powerful that it can change the way a person feels and acts. Studies have shown that the emotion or feeling of hope can cause the brain to release neurochemicals called endorphins and enkephalins which actually mimic the effects of morphine. The result is that the brain can overcome hurdles and move to a place of recovery. In the study of positive psychology, “Hope helps us remain committed to our goals and motivated to take action towards achieving. Hope gives people a reason to continue fighting and believing that their current circumstances will improve, despite the unpredictable nature of human existence” (positivepsychology.com).
What is the opposite of hope? Despair. The APA defines this as “the emotion or feeling of hopelessness, that is, that things are profoundly wrong and will not change for the better. Despair is one of the most negative and destructive of human affects, and as such it is a primary area for psycho therapeutic intervention.”
Can a person be manipulated into despair? Absolutely. It can be done through constant or persistent fear, lack of control over decision making or even freedom. How? By creating conditions that directly impact people in a negative way, such as taking away their home, not allowing them to go to work or leave their home with a feeling of safety. Taking away their freedoms under the guise of protecting them, instilling fear using all methods possible. It may be using individuals or groups of people as examples of what will happen if there is no obedience. We have seen throughout history the manipulation of how humans can be thrust into despair. You can read about it in the Old Testament. Hitler and Castro were experts at this kind of manipulation, with the intent of taking people to the lowest possible place in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and then telling them: ‘I can save you’. ‘ I am the one that can give you hope’.
The manipulation happens when every time there is a glimmer of hope in a bad situation, that hope is immediately snuffed by those who wish to maintain control. When there may be some optimistic treatment for a disease that could actually save lives, and as soon as there may be some hope about it, it is squashed. Any group that wishes to maintain control over people or country, or school, will not allow hope to enter the picture because that emotion, that wonderful feeling, will cause an individual or many individuals to start questioning those in charge. The other side effect of losing hope is that in many cases, faith also is lost, or is misdirected.
Many people who are in an emotional state of despair don’t see it in themselves. If you find yourself using the word ‘but’ whenever some good or optimistic information comes out about a crisis, you may be in despair. If you focus on the number of cases vs. the number of deaths and remain paralyzed by fear, you are in despair. You may find that your view of reality is no longer what is ‘real’ but rather what is manufactured. Despair can be as damaging as hope can be uplifting and healing.
So, what is the remedy to despair? Oh I know, every psychologist or psychiatrist will say it takes Zoloft or Zanax or some other drug. Not necessarily so. I believe that true, authentic faith is what can help bring you back to possessing hope. Authentic faith is not just a belief, but an unconditional trust in someone. Put your faith in a person? No. Believe in them, yes. Have confidence in them, yes. But faith? No. That should be reserved for Jesus Christ alone. Don’t waste your faith on humans regardless of what words come out of their mouths. The only one who will not abandon you is Jesus Christ. Turn to Him. Talk to Him. Cry to Him. Start with Him to climb out of the pit of despair.
Hebrews 11:1: “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen…”
Romans 12:12: “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”
Finding my Voice 