How is hope shared? Written by Anne Nicole R. Dolfo The sole thing that President Snow is very most afraid of, as seen in The Hunger Games series, is hope. He recognizes hope as the fuel that ignites the flame that is buried deep inside every person. This is the same spark that is intrinsically woven into the complex connection of strings that make up the whole fabric of our beings. It is always there and somehow finds a way to get to the surface. And when it gets to the surface, it is able to radiate its presence to others. As I go to school every day, stressed and exhausted because of all the work assigned to us, it’s inevitable to put on a straight face and wish for expulsion of classes. This crosses the minds of many students who are too tired to even hope for better days filled with high grades and less schoolwork. It can be seen, especially in the recent days since the school year is ending and my fellow batchmates are also soon to be graduating, in their eyes the blankness of expression followed by heavy eye bags brought about by hours of little sleep. But as I walk through the halls of the 4th year classrooms I’ve been passing through every weekday for the past eight months now, something always seems to manage to push me to keep on going and moving forward. Be it a simple greeting from a friend or a compliment, there is always something that will motivate me from time-to-time. And I see this tendency also present in other people. When one receives a high grade from a test, it encourages that person to keep on doing well in this subject or even carry on that same inspiration to other subjects. The hope of being able to do good in school is strengthened and reminded once again, if it were ever forgotten. When one is given the exact change for something bought in the cafeteria, the hope in believing in honesty and trust is revived. When one is offered and given help from a friend or even just a stranger, the hope in simple generosity and humanity is restored.
Though these acts are little and insignificant, they are the building blocks of the skyscrapers people look up at. Hope is shared through acts of kindness, big and small. These are now difficult to come by nowadays. With the new age of minimalism and media sensationalism, being selfless and doing concrete actions, in general, are even rare. This makes small acts of kindness even more valuable and influential to people. Besides the little ones, big actions inspire people all the more. Donating blood, stopping a running thief, saving a life. Not everyone has the opportunity to be a hero in another person’s novel. That is why I believe that helping someone is always the right thing to do. And more often than not, being of service to others inspires them to do good as well. I joined a summer program in our church that helps teach the students of a local public school. Being with the kids and being a role model gave them inspiration. It was evident in their glistening eyes that they were happy to have us there and that they looked up to us. To be honest, the whole thing was hectic: waking up at 7 in the morning to go to Sta. Maria Della Strada parish, heading to review class right after that, and then going home to prepare lesson plans and activities to excite the kids. It was exhausting, no doubt, but I never complained or regret joining the program. If anything, I am more than grateful for the opportunity it gave me. It allowed me to be able to reach out and touch people’s hearts. It gave me another reason to wake up in the morning and be the best version of myself. Seeing and hearing these kids along with the smell of dew and early morning mist filled my heart with hope at every start of the day. For me, the hope that the Philippines will be better, that there would be less kids in public schools and if not so, better facilities in these schools then, was always renewed in the days I spent with the students and eager co-tutors alike. Hope was not only shared from myself to the kids, but also from them to me.
It did not take a long time for me to come up with an answer to the question: “How is hope shared?” In fact, it was something as simple as remembering what topic we’re currently learning in math. Big and small acts of kindness are seen on a daily basis, whether the eyes are open or not. Sometimes, they could just be felt and not physically seen. With acts of kindness comes the worn out hope that was embedded in people’s minds and hearts since the beginning of time. It is ever revived, strengthened, and shared among other people in the community. Like a spark, it grows into a flame that provides warmth and comfort.