As we enter August and mark the end of Nelson Mandela Month, we are left in awe of the greatest fight for hope that our country has ever seen.
During those 27 years of imprisonment — uncertain if he would ever see his family or if freedom would ever come again — his fight of resilience and hope will forever live in the hearts of South Africans.
Hope is not just wishful thinking, it’s a choice. A decision that we make everyday to be resilient against the darker stages of our lives.
Hope inspires us to strive towards freedom and community. It’s a decision to not let hardships in the past define tomorrow’s opportunities.
While reading this, we are left with the thought — what is hope?
Well simply hope is defined as the feeling of wanting something and believing that it is possible.
But if we want something and believe that it is possible — are we not being optimistic?
Many people confuse hope with optimism and vice versa.
Optimism is believing in the good, believing that things will turn out better but hope is the decision to keep moving towards something brighter even when life is full of twists and turns.
Hope does not holds us back during times of uncertainty, but rather moves toward tomorrow with a positive mind.
Nelson Mandela’s strength was not rooted in blind optimism, he did not know when or even if he would ever experience freedom again, but he choose to believe, he chose to strive for a future he could not see yet.
He did not expect it, he fought for it.
Hope does not only hold benefit towards our thinking and feelings, but is rather rooted in deeper psychological meaning.
Hope reduces feelings of helplessness
When we choose to believe that we can change something about a situation, we regain our sense of control.
Someone who has lost their job, may begin updating their CV or apply for new positions instead of accepting that nothing will change.
Hope strengthens resilience
When we choose to hope in a brighter future, we become more resilient during our darker days.
A family who has recently gone through a tragedy, might choose to take action for a more positive tomorrow.
Hope gives us a sense of purpose
Believing that tomorrow can be better than today, we gain a sense of acceptance and a better motivation towards achieving our goals.
Hope in everyday life does not appear in grand gestures like Mandela’s fight for freedom, but we witness it through a student preparing for exams, a family facing financial difficulty, someone grieving the loss of a loved one, or someone recovering from illness.
In times like these, we need hope the most.
For in these everyday life situations, our resilience is built up the most.
Hope does not promise that tomorrow will be without challenges, but rather it gives us the courage to believe that our story is still being written.
Let us strive for a tomorrow full of hope, full of the resilience that Mandela instilled in South Africa.
— Brody Moodie is a specialist wellness counselor at Ascend2Wellness.
