“Hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turned out.” Vaclav Havel
This quote seems to follow me around like a lost puppy. I came across it again today.
It occurs to me on this go around that the devil here is in one word – “well.” When I hope “that something will turn out well” what I am most often talking about is the conviction that it will turn out the way I have decided it should turn out. I have, in essence, defined “well” as the outcome of my preference, oblivious (or indifferent) to the definition of “well” that might have been placed on the outcome by any one or combination of the other (give or take) seven billion people that inhabit this spinning clod of dirt and water (assuming any of them cared about the outcome).
Then, there’s than “makes sense” thing in there. Time is often the issue there. Often, very often it seems, I can only “make sense” of things when there is some time between the unchosen outcome and now – that “AHH HAA” moment of insight well after the fact. While hope has its benefits before the outcome (at least the short-term outcome) is decided, that time between unwanted outcome and now is, of course, where hope is most needed.
It occurs to me... 