Is the glass half full or half empty? A common question asked by the so called motivational speakers. We are often encouraged to be optimistic, to look at the glass as half full. We are often encouraged to let go of anger and sadness but are told to hang on to hope. Like hope is always a good thing. Is it so?
Animals and humans both have immediate physical needs such as sex and hunger. However, human beings are capable of thinking about things that are absent or in the future. The jury is still out there on whether humans have more intense orgasms than animals. But as humans we are capable of thinking about the landlord, COVID-19 or 2022 elections while having sex. We can worry about our next meal while we are eating. When these emotions are aroused, they dampen the mood of our situations. If we are suffering now, we can imagine the rewards of our suffering in our future. Hence it ameliorates our suffering for now. Fear about the future makes the present pleasures a little less pleasurable.
Schopenhauer says that an animal can suffer countless times but its experience is not cumulative. On the other hand humans have the ability to intensify their emotions which may lead to suicidal despair. Rarely do animals commit suicide.
We intensify our needs so as to intensify our pleasures. We have invented luxury and debauchery which has caused more suffering to us.
The animal’s life contains less suffering but I don’t want it since it also contains less pleasure. A human being can imagine enjoying a nice meal and experience pleasure something an animal cannot do. Animals typically have sex for reproductive purposes. Human beings… we not only have non reproductive sex, but hope for sex.
Hope is like a pain killer, it numbs the pain of anxiety and suffering. However, if the pain is chronic or gets worse, despair will kick in. Weeping is for the night but joy comes in the morning. But sometimes the night is never-ending or when morning comes, it comes with surprises, bad surprises. Like Stella showing up with mtoto mikonononi na mchumba wake mjapani. We should temper our hope with some hard facts about reality. Sometimes a realistic acceptance of a possible negative outcome is a beneficial strategy than clinging on to hope.
Dr. Peter Ubel and colleagues followed patients who had their colons removed. One group knew that the procedure was permanent while another group was told that after sometime their bowels would be reattached. After six months the group that knew that had been permanently disabled showed far more life satisfaction. The group awaiting a reattachment of their bowels remained depressed and unhappy. The fact that the second group was hoping for things to get better made them less satisfied with their present circumstances. Hope is a good thing, but it has a dark side they concluded. Prisoners who have shorter sentences are likely to escape compared to those who have life sentences. They keep imagining life outside.
Hope and despair are two sides of the same coin. They are all based on the expectations of the future. Hope is despair in disguise. If whatever we hope for takes longer than we can tolerate, despair kicks in. We become despondent.
Imagine yourself tied to a tree in the forest, you cannot untie yourself. You hope that someone will show up and help you. Day one you are hopeful, day two your hope dissipates, day three, day four…… despair. Despair cannot exist without hope.
Friedrich Nietzsche said that “Hope in reality is the worst of all evils because it prolongs the torments of man.” Ask arsenal fans.
Maybe we should hope judiciously.
The glass is both half full and half empty!
Fabio