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[deleted] t1_je3fo0n wrote

Hope is a blessing and a curse. It's saved my life, and in the same respect it's kept me alive and therefore suffering.

It's done a ton for humanity, and has also blinded us in times where we probably should have called it quits.

Like during instances of "summit fever," both literally and figuratively, which in the literal sense is where mountain climbers near their goal and begin making more rash and risky choices in the rest of their ascent, and sometimes doing so becomes their demise.

I've cursed hope and hated that I still am hopeful, but mostly I'm in awe of it. Even the tiniest bit is incredibly powerful, at least for one's individual circumstances.

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cybicle t1_je3qlfj wrote

Either way, blessing and/or curse, hope itself doesn't deliver the victory or the final blow. It only affects us and how we see our plight, the circumstances we face aren't directly modified by our hope.

e.g. The mountain doesn't say to itself "These climbers are genuinely hopeful. I'll hold off on the next storm, so they can summit."

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cybicle t1_je3rchs wrote

Without knowing what you've been through, I can only speculate that you also have a strong sense of perseverance.

I think perseverance overlaps with hope, with hope focusing on achieving a desired outcome, and perseverance focusing on avoiding an unwanted outcome.

They aren't mutually exclusive, they just allow you to view your challenges from different perspectives.

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