Okay, serious note here, I've been finding a lot of stuff that really should make a person sad lately in my thoughts on the people of the world. Maybe I'm just cynical, maybe my culture is just cynical...but the world is NOT only filled with sadness.

<font color=white><font size=5>Please, feel free to post something that helps you remember that hope is still alive in this sometimes cold and lonely world.</font></font>

I'll start, and say that long-term friends help me remember.

Hope for what?

[ 12-10-2004, 04:55 AM: Message edited by: The Hierophant ]

The Darwin Awards. Reminds me that stupid people are removing their taint from the gene pool. Gives me hope for the future of humanity.

I have hope that eventually cats will take over the earth and I will be one of the chosen few kept around to open tins of food for them.

...hope as a noun, Heiro. The belief that life, the human experience can get better, and won't eternally descend into horror and blight...that there is something to look forward to, that there is a reason to look forward.

Hope.

A reason to look forward to? Something to hope for?

D&D Online... coming in 2005 ;)

Stupid people are everywhere, its common knowledge and something you have to learn to accept. People may be bossy, arrogant, or stuck up, but thats just part of life and living through it.

Something to hope for... to meet more people online or not that are as good as the friends that I have.

Haha. Alright dude. Whatever tickles your fancy.

[ 12-10-2004, 04:54 AM: Message edited by: The Hierophant ]

Hope, Aaron. Like they found in Endora's Box.

Heh, you'll have to forgive my ignorance Phoenix... but, uh, I'm only familiar with the Pandora variety. Sorry if your characteristically subtle humour was wasted on me [img]smile.gif[/img]

[ 12-10-2004, 04:54 AM: Message edited by: The Hierophant ]

Haha. Alright dude. Whatever tickles your fancy. </font>[/QUOTE]The soul-less cynic has spoken. All heed his words of biting wisdom. j/k ;) :D

One of the things that gives me hope is the amount of time, money, and goods given to charity at this time of the year. A drop in the bucket compared to the joys of consumerism, but hopeful none the less.

Some children make me hope. The quiet, sensitive, inquisitive ones.

Alright, alright. I'll contribute something on-topic.

Pre-Christian Greek, Roman and Scandinavian texts demonstrate to me that the general morality of Western civilisation was not always riddled with guilt, pessimism and subconscious self-loathing as it is today. And they give me hope that some day the psychological mouth-gags of inhibited 'slave-culture' shall be spat out, resulting in our natural aristocracies no longer feeling compelled to masquerade as 'men of the people'.

Heh, you'll have to forgive my ignorance Phoenix... but, uh, I'm only familiar with the Pandora variety. Sorry if your characteristically subtle humour was wasted on me [img]smile.gif[/img] </font>[/QUOTE]Yeah, well, Endora had one, too.

::waits for Jorath to show up::

[ 12-10-2004, 04:46 AM: Message edited by: Illumina Drathiran'ar ]

Heh, sweet. I wasn't gettin' atcha. Just admitting my doofusness was all [img]smile.gif[/img]

[ 12-10-2004, 04:54 AM: Message edited by: The Hierophant ]

For all the bad things in the world life goes on, people fall in love and have children, they grow up and learn a new set of social values, fall in love and have children who them learn a new set of social values..

It's not much, but's it's enough.


Fear not the shadows of what might be... trust the light to show you the way...

My hope is that people would just be a little nicer to eachother. There are 1000 people at my work and many of them won't even look at you and say hello. And these are those friendly Maritimers that everybody talks about. Smiling and saying hello doesn't make you engaged or married, or anything like that.

Commit random asks of kindness to strangers. You'll feel better than anything you'll do for yourself.

[ 12-10-2004, 07:51 PM: Message edited by: Variol (Farseer) Elmwood ]

Well there must be something because I now only have 1 friend really :( (my best friend though [img]smile.gif[/img] ) And numerous other events which I wont go into.
But dispite this im still extremely happy at the momment, I dont know if its the fact that I have finished school, and now im starting my real life, or something else.
Sorry im not being specific, but I honestly dont know whats making me feel good about the future and the world.

Transformers The Movie. (2006)

Half-life 3.

A medical degree.

Winning the lottery.

Well, apart from Absynthe's comment... ;)

I'd say that I'm encouraged about international relations. This because of forums like this one. All of the forums I frequent are an amazing blend of people from so many countries and from all kinds of backgrounds, yet we get along as well as any family could hope for. If *we* can do this, I have hope that even, say, countries with residents who say they "hate Americans" can come to understand not to paint us all with the same brush. We are who we are, and *not* our government.

Same goes for other countries who seem to be the "underdogs" right now. I will trust that people will learn to see past the actions of a few in power and come to know and understand that the whole of a society should not be judged by who is running the country at the moment.

Also, I have hope since, after two "bad" marriages, I am now married to my soulmate and best friend. [img]smile.gif[/img] And, though I've lost my Father this year, my Mother and I are closer than ever and making it through this first tough year without my Dad. We are managing to have some fun and find some comfort and laughter despite being one shy this year.

Heh, you'll have to forgive my ignorance Phoenix... but, uh, I'm only familiar with the Pandora variety. Sorry if your characteristically subtle humour was wasted on me [img]smile.gif[/img] </font>[/QUOTE]Yeah, well, Endora had one, too.

::waits for Jorath to show up:: </font>[/QUOTE]Why what did I do now...?

Have to admit I had to do some research to actually get that one... but I eventually did.

Hoochimama, I Must be slipping in my old age... [img]smile.gif[/img]

[ 12-10-2004, 08:39 AM: Message edited by: Jorath Calar ]

You'd be surprised what little things can do. [img]smile.gif[/img] I notice that more often than not, someone holds a door open for me at work if I have my hands full of bags, files and what have you. More often than I'd expect, someone says "thank you" if I hold a door for them. If common courtesy hasn't completely died out on a university campus then I've got to acknowledge a bit of hope is still lurking around the place. ;)

At the beginning of this thread, Hiero was tryina take over my role of sarcasm/smartassedness master. Do not even attempt it, you amateur! [img]tongue.gif[/img] :D

As for today's society being riddled with guilt and self-loathing, tis true, I feel it a lot too. But that's cos I'm a lazy git, who doesn't do enough work, or maybe I just feel like that cos I set my targets higher than my concentration/patience level? I agree that it is bad to always feel self-loathing as you put it, but it does make you strive to be better, which is always good. If we were all content with ourselves (there's no reason we should be, since we all make mistakes and do stupid things and things that hurt others) then the world would never improve, just get worse.

As for Endora's box, never heard of it, guess someone made it up and it hung around ... :S

As for what gives me hope? Not much these days, but I'm past caring. Life goes on... actually I always look forward to my next badminton session, I have hope I will cain everyone at badminton one day :D

[ 12-10-2004, 10:55 AM: Message edited by: Vaskez ]

Every morning, my kids love to see me, and whatever we might have been frustrated or angry about last night is history. What a way to start the day...

On a more positive note...

...fresh winter snow makes my lawn as beautiful as everyone else's

...a good bowl of chili takes the edge off a cold winter day. So does a bowl of my chili. [img]smile.gif[/img]

...I've got enough firewood left for at least six or seven good fires

...when I order more, someone else will have already chopped it into appropriately sized pieces

...a smile given creates more than one in return

Oh c'mon. Cheer up Charlie! ;) Believe it or not, the world has never revolved around people, it tends to sidestep around them whilst avoiding eye contact more than anything. [img]smile.gif[/img]

That's the spirit! Give 'em hell! [img]smile.gif[/img]

[ 12-10-2004, 03:34 PM: Message edited by: The Hierophant ]

The obvious thing to be happy about is love. it stil exhists, and people still philosiphise (dont bug me cause i spelled it wrong or if its not a word) about it. this means that its out there, alive and shining unto the people. it means the world has something to look up to.

Well, I don't really need something to remind me there is hope for humanity, because of course there is. Humanity isn't going to hell in a handbasket; there's always been very bad people and very bad things happen, it's not new and it's not a sign that humanity is at the point of no return. It's the same as it always was and always will be, we just hear about it more now with the media and techological advances allowing unprecedented access and coverage of said very bad things.

Having said that, I agree with those people who mentioned random acts of kindness. It's lovely when someone holds the door for you when they go through ahead of you instead of just letting it fall back, or smiles at you or makes small talk when you're waiting in line. Or helps you pick up stuff when you've dropped it. Or says please and thank you. So those things make my day brighter [img]smile.gif[/img]

I don't want hope. Hope is killing me. My dream is to become hopeless. When you're hopeless, you don't care, and when you don't care, that
indifference makes you attractive.

Oh, so hopelessness is the key.

It's my only hope.

[img]graemlins/1drinkspit.gif[/img]
... Jorath! That's awesome!! I'm filing that one away, my friend. :D

Spoken like a true George Constanza! [img]graemlins/biggrin.gif[/img]

Come on Vasky...challenge me...I dare yi :D

Well, I just need to look at my girlfriend and I see all the good I need!

That reminds me... There's only one "n" in "Costanza"

Best I can do for you:

"Soldier On"

I am a battle-scarred Warrior of Life.
Too often have I striven against the foes
Of indifference, stupidity, and hate.

On a hundred different battlefields I stand,
And the dust swirls about my feet
As I bear forth the banners of Truth, and Light, and Righteousness.

Don't I look stupid standing there?

Shoulders bowed, blood on my brow,
I would weep if I could stop laughing.
I pose while I emote, and while emoting look silly.

Life's battles have not worn me down:
If I am crushed, I have crushed myself.
No one is interested in my surrender.

Defeat is a word used by losers,
And loss only comes from within.
Shoulders can be squared, a back straightened,
And a broken heart pieced together
With only a crack or two to show the memory
Of another round in the war of Life.

(Copyright 2001, Eric M. Hammer. All rights reserved)

I would add that humor is probably the best reason for hope -- even if dark or ironical. If I can laugh, I must breathe; if I breath, I yet live, and where there is life, there is hope.

-- Mal

Fixed Illumina... should there be an exclamation point too... ?

[img]smile.gif[/img]

[ 12-11-2004, 09:53 PM: Message edited by: Jorath Calar ]