HAT Forum - Hope

The Humanist Association of Toronto
http://www.humanisttoronto.ca/

Every Saturday we meet on Zoom to discuss a topic decided upon the previous week. These are topics of humanist interest, from a humanist perspective.

The topic of the discussion will be decided in a prior meeting, usually two weeks in advance. This week’s topic is: Hope, introduced by Karl Iglesias

“Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul, and sings the tune without the words, and never stops at all.” — Emily Dickinson

A few weeks ago, we discussed nostalgia, and I wondered what its opposite was. If nostalgia was about yearning for a better past, could hope be a yearning for a better future? In uncertain times, we often hear the phrase “Don’t lose hope.” But what is hope, really? Philosophers and psychologists have long debated its true nature, viewing it as an emotional and sometimes spiritual orientation toward the future, and highlighting various elements, such as a vision of something better, like when we hope to heal after an illness, find love after heartbreak, or build a better world. Hope is also a sense of agency, like having a goal and the motivation to pursue it. And it's considered emotional fuel that can help us endure hardship, persist through uncertainty, and prevent despair. As such, it can play a huge role in creating meaning in our lives, as it helps us answer existential questions, like "What is worth living for?" or "What could my life become?"
But is hope always a virtue? Sometimes it can also mislead, as with "false hope," which can chain us to toxic relationships, naive dreams, or unrealistic expectations. Entire societies have been built on hopeful myths that later crumbled. And Friedrich Nietzsche famously argued that "Hope is the worst of all evils because it prolongs the torments of man," suggesting that it can lead us to endure unnecessary suffering for a future that may never arrive, or be a sedating form of denial that prevents us from accepting reality or taking necessary action.
Ultimately, we must ask if hope is a strategy for survival or a mechanism for delusion. Does it anchor us, or does it set us adrift?
Join us for a lively discussion.

Additional questions for discussion:
- Can hope exist without faith in anything—religious or otherwise?
- When does hope become denial?
- Is it better to be hopeless and realistic, or hopeful and potentially deluded?
- Does hope cause action, or does action cause hope?
- How is hope different from blind optimism or confidence?
- Is hope necessary for morality? (i.e., Do we need to believe the world can be better in order to act good?)
- Can one be "hopeless" regarding the future of the world, yet still live a happy and meaningful individual life?

Videos to Explore before meeting:
- What is hope and why it matters (7 min.): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhMI2-aEvWM
- The Stockdale Paradox - A Message for Uncertain Times (6 min.): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZmi9z6Kt18
- The Science and Power of Hope (20 min.): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qt0fRSx5Kl4

Meet our diverse group, trade perspectives in a free and open forum and learn from others as they learn from you!

BTW: don't be concerned if there are not many RSVP’s. Many HAT members attend regularly but don’t sign up on Meetup. Our online meetings have been very popular with 20-30 attendees.

NOTE: The HAT Forum adheres strictly to the City of Toronto Policy on Non-Discrimination (http://www.the519.org/public/content/policy-files/The519SpaceUsePolicy.pdf)

Our Website (http://www.humanisttoronto.ca/)