Saudade and Hope By Samantha Dacanay, Joshua Lazaro, and Sabina Sysantos
As a child, we all probably have lost something dear to us. Whether it's a pet, a toy, or a gift that bears a sentimental value, and we have that sudden feeling of all hope being lost. In reality, hope is more seen in that situation more than anything. We may have lost something that meant something to us, but as it fades to just another memory, we remember it and it ends up giving us the strength we need to get through the day. As often said, while there is life, there is hope. It will never be out of the picture and will always be there. It is our sustenance to living and gives people the chance to expect, aspire or yearn for something to happen to make their lives better. It influences decisions on what we want in our lives as it gives us the courage and strength, comfort and joy in what we do. Contemplate on all the times we all began a sentence in an everyday conversation with the word hope. THIS could have been anything from "I hope the weather stays like this", to "I hope he likes me back", or "I hope everything goes as planned." We dictate our wishes because hearing them audibly makes it feel that much closer to becoming a reality. All throughout our lives, we continue to hope because this is the one thing that will be our drive to move forward especially when everything has gone astray. Hope is our light that will take us out in the pit of darkness. However, oftentimes, we keep hopes to ourselves. We do not make an effort to share hope with anyone else. This is understandable since the feeling is our own. But sometimes, it comes off as insensitivity. We hope for all the things we think we need in order to make life not just more bearable, but enjoyable. Then again, what is there to enjoy if a single person is the only one feeling the hopefulness, and the happiness? To share hope is to reach out to those who need it. Hope is spread through each one of us. You yourself should be the one to reach out to people when they are in their darkest hour. Hope is living within us and is shown when we express it through words or actions. A simple pat on the back and the dialogue of comfort will give hope to the lost and go a long way. Small acts of kindness, sharing your time, talent and treasure gives hope to others that everything will turn out for the best. It may not seem big but it definitely shows there is still hope out there. Though we can share hope in little ways like this, we can also choose to go the extra mile to make a greater impact. Hope is not just shared individually, but there are a lot of groups who bring it as an advocacy. When someone takes the initiative, others often follow and what to be a part of it. These people who spread hope become icons, some even idols of other people, and some even make it to the CNN heroes’ awards.
They inspire us to do the same things they do, they prove that even ordinary people can be heroes. Hope is a human necessity. We are all constantly hoping for something whether we realize it or not. We all have our own overly romanticized versions of what the world should be and what could become of us in that dream world – we hope for world peace and unity; we hope for money, power, glory. And we do this simply because the promise of something better coming is what helps us carry on living. The feeling of hope starts with us and hope will end with us. When people say, "All hope is lost," they are just pertaining to themselves. Just because they lost hope, does not necessarily mean that we lose our hope as well. Take yourself back to when you were a child, and you were chosen by your friends to be the seeker in a game of hide-and-seek. Some people are really easy to find because of their obvious hiding spots, but there is always that one friend that is really hard to find, and when you finally find him, you gain the sense of achievement; that you won the game. Hope is exactly like that, it tends not to show itself at first, or even after a really long period of time. But it is found, and WHEN YOU DO, you can finally take a breath, pat yourself on the back, and smile. For the hope that you were clinging on to was achieved, and you finally got all that you could have wished for. We are all people, no matter what race, religion, skin color and everything that people can state to differentiate us. So let us give back some of the hope we gained, let us share our hope with everyone else. Giving this hope will touch hearts, heal lives, and who knows? Maybe you will inspire others to do the same.