NOT the route of Buster

The worst kind of hope is the passive kind of hope. The “sit on your ass” waiting, where you bathe in regret and self-loathing, becoming pitiable and pathetic as the years go by without a scent of change. The surprise that things are pretty much the same spawns from the naïve idea that fate’s got you secure, and that time will change everything. But fate’s a cold-hearted whore, and time changes nothing. Action changes things. We can’t sit on our asses and just wait. If you’re not moving ahead, you may not be going backwards, but, well, you’re still not going anywhere. Any kind of passive hope is fruitless and deserving of condemnation; and while hoping always has an aspect of waiting (for a hope realized is no longer hope), the waiting is to be active. Chasing after our dreams, that’s hard work. But is it worth it? Yes, it’s absolutely worth it. And how do I pursue this, my greatest dream, the dream of love and union in a world like the one we’ve got?

PURSUE THE BETTERMENT OF MYSELF. I’m talking holistic betterment, no stone unturned. Better myself physically so that I’m attractive to the opposite sex, but more importantly, so that I’ll get to see my grand-kids one day (if it gets that far). Better myself emotionally, through discipline, so that I’m more able to handle life’s pains, single or married, in an appropriate and beneficial manner. Spiritually, I’m deepening my roots in God and continually pursuing sanctification, so that my heart will be continuously transformed so that my love can be strong and secure.

TAKE RISKS. Risk-taking, by nature, is scary. But risk is always there, even if we can’t see it. We may risk shooting ourselves in the foot, but we may also miss out on something beautiful for fear of plunging into the unknown. Resignation, just giving up and calling it a day, isn’t an option. This is a quest, damn it, and quests involve moving forward and pushing through all that stands in your way to find that prized object holding your fascination and delight. This quest involves making investments, risking humiliation, even being sorely hurt and facing disillusionment. But the tempting thoughts of resignation can’t be heeded, must be thrown off, because that’s no sort of life. Life is Risk, period. And life’s filled with hurts and disappointments, but we have to keep getting up, keep mending bones and stitching open wounds, and we charge forward come what may. Don't go the route of Buster, being neither seen nor heard.

A realistic hope must be an honest hope, and an honest hope is valid only if it’s active and not passive in nature. The kind of hope I must embrace is a hope that is realistic, honest about the nature of the world and the nature of hope, a hope that’s not content to wait around for stuff to get done but a hope that grabs the bull by the horns—or would they be tusks?—and wrestles through the arena no matter the gashes and bruises and open wounds and festering sores.