HOPE

Its effect and value during difficult times – a minor collection of personal thoughts

As a financial crisis unfolds it may not only result in people loosing their fortunes but also their pride and most importantly their hope. Hope in times of crisis, in my opinion, is probably one the most valuable assets and yet it is often undervalued and ignored. Hope, expectation will usually motivate man to swiftly take action and tackle whatever lies ahead of him. Man without hope, after being hit hard by the financial crisis, has no realistic chance of recuperating and planing ahead for the future. He becomes trapped in a vicious cycle of decay and despair. Many can probably fight on instinctively without great ideas, a clear plan and philosophy but they cannot do so without hope and even if they could their struggle would be desperate, short-lived and most probably ill-fated. Hope is intertwined if not synonym to our basic instincts of survival. It is the foundation on which we build our moral and mental strength.

Financial crisis in a society may have a wide range of negative effects on people's mindset and psychology. To a certain extent it may cause people to loose their usual trust in themselves and each other. This apparent lack of trust often complicates and worsens business negotiations and transactions, human interaction and everyday life in general. It can be argued that some people in difficult times loose a great part of their humanity. As they fall in hard times they become depressed, fearful and reclusive, they isolate themselves, limit their activity, some even give up altogether. Their fear, anger and desperation limit their creativity and productivity, often those feelings run so deep that are extremely hard to reverse.

However in times of extreme desperation great opportunities may arise for those that can see a clear pathway to a brighter and more prosperous future. The competitive nature of society results in those people having a clear advantage over those that remain desperate and disillusioned. In difficult times the incentive to assume greater risks than normal is there for those that maintain their composure and have an inherently positive mindset. In a crumbling market environment one has to appreciate the magnitude of the risks associated with investing and trying to be creative. One has to study thoroughly and systematically analyse them and plan accordingly. Intelligence, vision and practical skills greatly enhance competitiveness.

The way one employs his moral, his expectations is crucial for his future. Hope combined with pragmatism and a technocratic view and approach in problem solving and planing are often the fundamental tools in efficiently constructing a better future in difficult times. On the contrary hope combined with populist, naive and poorly thought ideas may be even more catastrophic than a pure pessimistic philosophy.

People rich in hope, dreams and ideas in their strive for a better future may often break barriers and overcome great obstacles. Their achievements may bring along a much needed wave of of optimism for their communities and inspire others to follow their footsteps. Their mental and moral strength, their meticulous planning and their strong will to succeed above expectations makes them ideal candidates for becoming leaders. Some of the most charismatic and effective leaders in human history where direct products of societies that had fallen in difficult times. The difficult environment they were confined to gave them survival lessons and helped them acquire problem-solving skills. It also probably gave them a unique mental toughness and an appreciation of the benefits involved with being practical and pragmatic.

Difficult times may produce the opportunity for great, visionary, pragmatic leaders but they also may also pave the way for populist, opportunistic leaders. The latter may hinder the progress of the former and destroy any chance of a long-term and effective recovery.

In difficult times populist leaders often thrive on people's natural need for hope. Pumping up great expectations and pride, promising plenty at little or no cost, often pretending to be righteous saviours and men of principle, blaming their predecessors for everything that has gone wrong and absolving the ordinary people of any responsibility or guilt they may feel. The magnitude of their charisma and the severity of the situation often have a proportional effect on their success to accumulate power and influence over a weakened society. In some extreme instances they may even trick themselves that they are the solution to people's problem. Down-to-earth, pragmatic and composed people are less likely to fall victims of populist propaganda and false promises. Their hope and moral however can be greatly diminished if they realise that the majority in their society has fallen victim to it.

History has often shown us that a crisis just doesn't fade away, you have to painfully battle your way out of it, both as individuals and as a society. When and how you muster the courage and strength to engage in such a battle depends on your mindset and psychology. The psychological depression that follows a financial meltdown is often the driving force behind recession, financial depression and decay. Dreaming of a better future and being optimistic will not be enough but it is surely a start. Keeping a positive mindset is often easier said than done. Every strategy, plan to pull out a society out of a crisis must take into account the moral and feelings of its members. The implementation and success of tough and/or radical measures to facilitate growth greatly depend on it.

Even the most ambitious plans and measures may have a chance of succeeding if they are supported by strong-willed and optimistic members of a society, who are ready to assume risks and make painful sacrifices. Especially the latter cannot be demanded by people that have lost all hope. People are always most likely to follow those that promise a better future if persuaded that the plan is realistic and hence there is real chance of success.

Sacrifices made for a greater good, solidarity shown to the weakest and most vulnerable members of society are, as hope is, linked to people's humanity and trust in society. It is always extremely hard for people to set a good example for others to follow when they have lost hope that others will appreciate it. Hope in others, their idealism, humanity and positive mindset is crucial for the progress and prosperity of a society.

We must always hope that others will hope also!