HOPE—PEOPLE’S BEST OPIATE

                          By Seymour Schechtman

 

    InCorinthians 1:13, in St. Paul’s famous epistle to the Corinthians, the last exhortation was  “and now abidethfaith, hope, and charity; but the greatest of these is charity.” Universallyevery translation of the bible,from the much revered King Jamesone of Elizabethan timesto our current time,“charity” has been rendered as love;and sincethe word love is not completely unambiguous,as in “ he nearly loved us to death”I prefer to emphasize the hope aspect of Paul’s immortal triadof human aspiration.Karl Marxrather sneeringly referred to religionas the “opiateof the people”but I would rather think of religion as more of a balm and solace,when the incomprehensible and downright unpleasant still seems to triumphover the very many manifest victoriesof the march of secular scienceagainst all the material discomforts of disease, pain, economic uncertainty---and the complete oblivion of earthly deathafter too short a time even though vastly and healthily prolonged in the last century in this “vale of tears”.

         Indeed, many of us are living much longer, more comfortablythan ever before, but man (and woman, his constant companion, loved one and persistent goad) is ever a restless and strivingspirit, tending tooverlook the miracle of creation surroundinghimand taking it for granted---muttering under his breathAll that’s all right, Lord, but what have You donefor us lately? That is, humankind is a relatively restless hybrid of animal animus and soulful longing,---some form of lust and spirit---and is basically searching to bring these two clashing drives to some sort of harmonious balance.A seeming contradiction of values in the socio economic fabric of our culture makes this uneven and unreasonable imbalance of time framesseem contradictory and self vitiating. The eternal and the instant mundane reality.The here and now and the long range retrospection which either sanctifies the current action or not,and the hope that if wrong we can stillrectify our mistakes as we progess and gain more insight.

         Another way of stating this is that while hope does “ spring eternal” in most every breast it is still a most fragile flower, and in most of humanity can wither or shrivel if not nurtured by favorable or loving(?) care.    Andthe surrounding environment for nurturing is not always the most optimum.In fact, as Dickens put it in a Tale of Two Cities in a somewhatdifferentcontext….. “It was the best of timesand it was the worst of times”….referring to rebellious Paris and stable London just across the English channelduring the French revolution is not so uncommonin one’s daily life in the routine minutiae of survivingand hopefully prospering.There are negative and positive aspectsevery dayas to the perceivedsuccess of each project planned and undertaken in our jobs and other life experiences making us more or less hopeful or dubious in our optimism for the momentaryachievement ofeach daily task, and thus our hopeful current mood.   Or temporary depression of having “a bad day”.  This dailybalance, or struggle,can depleteone’s total reserve of psychic hope,of whether one looks at life as if the glass is more than half empty,but not at least half full, or even more.  That there is positive potential in one’s future and is well worth the effort oftrying to attain it.Ahopefulfeeling for the future.

         Still another way of saying it,in the still immortal words of

FDR (Franklin Delano Roosevelt)“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”   Inthe depthsofthe depression,a rallying crythatproclaimedthe hope that human effort and notdespair would overcomethe spiritual as well as economic malaise the nation was afflicted with.  That Rooseveltian clarion cryhas always served us well,even thoughat that time it was uttered the economic heavens did not exactly immediatelyproduce sunshine and good fortune.     Indeed,as I write this in the last days of January 2008the economic skies seem to be falling  and fears of recession are becomingcommon.Almost as ifin those almost cyclical New Yorker cartoons of the very gloomy, shabby sign holderwith the grim announcement that the End of The Worldwas nigh.  Then FDR had a series ofradiofireside chatsover hisfour terms in office—about 34—which gave hope and support to a still ailing electorate.  
As if he were giving the frail flower of human hope much needed nourishment and emotional sustainanceby his very compassionate concern.  A dose of real love,if you will.   And today some echo of those dire timesevery politicianseems to reprise.     In Wall Street street parlancewe are climbing another credit marketcrunch, another “Wall of Worry” market scenario; this time an overbought condition of too much credit extendedin the form of mortgage loans to poor risk owners.   But the extreme price swings,andprice declines now reflect an oversold situation and correction of the  value of the faulty loansof the past.   A nourishing price rally back up from some of the recent lossesseems now well underway.

         Fear and hope are counter forcesin life,and certainly in financial and commercial situations,and the bargains are certainly greaterwhenrational decisions areforestalled by too much pessimism,but calm, cool logic devoid of“irrational”emotional pressure is a classroom mirage,nota real lifescenario.    In the Biblical accountthe Childrenof Israelhad to wander forforty years in the desert becausetheirfaith and hopehad to be constantlyreinforced with life sustainingmanna daily,and twice on the Sabbath,the day of rest when no work was allowed,andseveral times a week  flights of pigeons would appear to assuage their need for proteins.    But despite these manifest miraclesthey were still a “stiff necked people” at times, and once even the sainted Mosesdoubted the Lord’s commandto strike a certain desert rock to produce the additional miracle of the much needed waterfor his very thirsty Jews.   (Apparently the main reasonMoses was not allowed  into Canaan,the Promised Land).And, primarily,  their fate was forty years of desert   wanderinguntil a new generation was mature enough to have faithandobey God’s commandments.

         Faith, Hope and Love, still a triple threatprescription forthe good life.  Hope for me is still the centerpiece,but nourished by strong instances of Love when necessary,as in Roosevelt’s firesidechats,or, even better!, the miracle of the parting of the Sea of Reeds, when God revealed His awesome power. And Love andFaith are very necessarypsychic nutrients to buildthe fragile flower ofHopeinto an enduring andstrongemotional supportto aspire to the full potential that one iscapable of.

         And for me to have the small temerity to ask one small hopeful favor----in the Super Bowl this Sunday (February 3rd) ----no severe injuries, please; may the best team win,and hopefully that will be the Giants,whomI have supported quietly but loyally  for three quarters of a century!…. perhaps a few providential “innocent” turnoversthat the Giants may benefit fromsomewhat…….