How do you all keep up hope?

[Zombiethederg]

I wont go into specifics, but I think its safe to say the world is... in a bad place. Has been, for years. How do you all keep going? Through the many trifles and tribulations, through the horror of what you'll have to face?

How do you do it? Cuz im sure having trouble doing it, and I don't even have a job!

[grubbyfox]

I dont know, honestly. I mean, I don't really think we will last even 100 years from now. Maybe, but maybe life will be greatly impaired by then. Either by war or environment or maybe illness, etc. I've got no idea. I mean, most likely, society will be just as crazy as now, but the way things are going, I can't really picture life as we know it now in 100 years, lol. I can barely picture it 50 years from today. Just by the speed of crazy.

But at the same time, I dont really.... uh "care" ? I mean, I care in that I try to live a sustainable life. Which is super hard to do without just becoming a hermit in the woods. But like, I recycle, I thrift, I dont travel by plane, etc. Those kind of things.

Is there any special reason you need to cling to "hope" in these times? I mean, I feel like I cant complain at all, and I feel very very lucky that RNG had me born into a safe country, etc. I feel its weird for me to feel hopeless in general, when there are people out there in war zones, watching their loved ones get blown to bits, everyone starving, etc. Those people need hope! I dont mean that in a condescending way, hah, I mean, they actually only have hope, when they should have much more than just that to live by. I dont "need" to cling to hope because I'm generally safe - even if my life situation is a bit down in the dumps.

All I can "hope" is that it does not happen here, but that's very unlikely anyway (though every country always thinks its unlikely to happen to them.)

Anyway, sorry I have a hard time getting my thoughts coherent, haha. I just feel like, there's no reason for me to feel hopeless or full of hope for things 100 years a head. What happens, happens. I can hope for a cure for dementia, cancer, those things. But those are relevant for life here now.  And I can try to live a live that is somewhat sustainable in order to not mess things up for the future people.... but I also doubt it matters, because we're so beyond repair anyway, and the big corporates that can change things, they dont want to. And thus, it wont matter.

I also sometimes listen to stories by my parents, for example, how their parents and grandparents got through hard times, I watch youtube channels of old folks / people talking about how people endure, how people find enjoyment during dark times, etc.

And I want to believe that even when things get bad, worse, horrible, etc that I will keep wanting to go on, etc. I try to keep myself prepared. Hopelessness can come from being scared - but dont be scared, get prepared! :) By that I mean, for those of us in situations where our daily life is pretty OK, but we are scared for what may be around the corner. I obviously dont mean people in war zones being "hopeless because scared", that's a really tepid way of looking at things, imo.

Sorry I am rambling. I would love to know how you feel about your hope/lack of it. Is there any reason? And all I can advise with is, dont feel hopeless for humanity down the line. Humanity will make or break. But it will be out of our hands. If we end up annihilating ourselves in 100 years, then our time was up.

[Audball]

I have just adopted the idea of "either I'll get through it or I won't" or perhaps "do what you can, don't worry about what you can't," to put it in more positive words.

Really all anyone can ask of anyone is to do their very best. So I try my darndest to give my very best. Sometimes my best is barely anything, and sometimes I can move mountains. Regardless of how much they are, they are still "my best" and those around me appreciate me for doing what I can and I do my best to not worry about what I can't do.

So I guess how I personally "keep going" is just by giving only the amount that I can give, as weird as that sounds. Not over-extending myself. Not over-burdening myself. Which I will not lie have both been very hard to maintain given current events.

[xixxii]

some things that help me:

• look at good news! there is lots of it to find. here are just a few examples! following zoos, wildlife shelters, and other ecological restoration organizations on whatever social medias i use has helped a lot in keeping me grounded and reminded that there are people in the world working on fixing various problems.
• learn about the people and organizations in my local region that are doing important and helpful work and consider how i could help out. there's a lot of things that need doing, which means there's a lot of things that i could do to help!
• focus on what i can do instead of what i can't. one more patch of flowers for bees matters a lot, to the bees who live near me. one less piece of plastic litter on the ground is one less potentially dangerous thing for a creature to choke on! i cannot fix the world, but i can improve my life and the lives of the people and beings around me a little bit.
• remember that "feeling bad" is not helpful to anybody, including me! feeling bad does not count as "doing something" about any problems, and making myself miserable on purpose does not make me a better person. despair is not motivating at all for me!
• learning about things is engaging and enjoyable for me, so it helps to try to channel strong negative feelings into feelings of curiosity, empathy, and understanding. who else has felt like this? what are other overwhelming disasters that people and communities have faced? what did that look like? etc. i tend to shut down and detach from the world around me when i feel bad, which actually makes me feel worse, so trying to feel connected to the world around me is really important when i'm overcome with despair!
• make art about it! i make depressing collages. it's relaxing and interesting, and it feels good to make things that feel like they are representative of my feelings in an abstract way.
• be specific! make a list. it is sometimes easier to address feeling overwhelmed when i have a list of things i am upset about, because then it is quantifiable and not just a nebulous mass of "everything" that feels infinite. sometimes it makes me feel worse, though.
• freak out! sometimes i just need to let myself feel bad for a bit. letting myself have a big meltdown in my room instead of trying to stop myself from feeling bad can help just get it out of my system. sometimes i just need to cry and hide under a blanket and feel awful for a bit!!

additionally, here are two pages about coping with distressing events in the news, and here's a post about general tips for easing yourself out of moments of particularly acute distress! 

[PurpleHello98]

I'm quite religious, so forgive me if this sounds a bit preachy, but often I just have to remind myself that God is good, and trust that whatever happens is for the best, and remember that in the great hereafter there will be peace and happiness. I feel like of all things, love and happiness are what endure best.

I also like to remind myself, even if one area of my life is in shambles, that there are so many other areas that aren't. I've got some good friends, I go to a good school, I have a pretty good family, etc. Of course these are only example---apply to your own life, etc.

Finally, I feel like things just have a tendency in life, and you can say it's because of God like I do or whatever you please, to work out alright in the end. Of course, there are times when things really, truly don't end up as we'd like them to, but I feel like in the end, happy endings, if we let them exist, however that may be, are very common.

I will admit, though I try to be unfailingly optimistic, there are some times when I do lose hope, but when I step back, take a deep breath and remind myself of the things above, I don't tend to feel so bad.

[VelvetSoul]

I don't mean to suggest that I simply "don't care" but I just do my best to take each day as it comes, find the good in my own life and the lives of those around me. The world as a whole is a big place, with many problems, and many good things. I need to understand that it's not within my capability, nor is it my job; to fix everything wrong with the world.

Essentially I've adopted the philosophy of "what can I do about it?" But not in the sense of dismissing problems, rather; think of it like this...

My friend has a death in the family, it seems to have hit them hard; as it would anyone. I ask myself, what can I do about it? In this case I can directly assist with the situation in some way, I can be there for my friend in a multitude of ways and I seek to figure out which way is best suited and then execute on that solution. Obviously I can't fix the problem, but I can help them not feel so bad about it, so I do.

I hear about a horrible tragedy taking place somewhere far away from me, I ask myself, what can I do about it? If the situation is accepting donations, am I in a position to donate and still be okay myself? If the situation is looking for aid, am I able to provide that? If yes then I do, I've done my part and that is all I can do, no more should be expected of me by myself or others. If I cannot then I simply need to stop worrying about it.

If you can't change the outcome, or you can't fix the problem; worrying about it won't fix things, it will just tax you. That in turn impedes your ability to do the things you can, where you can. So basically I guess it's a matter of worrying about the things I can do something about, and reminding myself not to worry about the things I can't.

I try to focus on my life, not in a selfish way, but in the sense that I can have an immense and almost immediate impact on the lives myself and those close to me. However I cannot do this for random passersby or people I hear about in the news. This doesn't mean I don't care about those people, I extend courtesy to those around me when I'm out of the house, I do my part to make the world a kind and loving place. However I keep a realistic outlook on my impact and what I can or cannot do. I try not to overtax myself and maintain a level of comfort within my life.

Doing what I can helps me to feel like I'm not just sitting still while the world burns around me, but speaking in that metaphor; you need to know where your impact is. You may not be a firefighter who can actually put out this fire; sometimes you're sitting there with a bucket of water, other times you need to be the person who calls the fire department; and as much as it may suck, sometimes all you can do is make sure you're not in the building when it goes up in flames. At the end of the day, you can't feel responsible for striking the match just because you couldn't douse the flames.

Truth be told, the way I see it; the world keeps turning with or without me. Time keeps marching forward, people will keep going about their lives. If what's best for me is to kick back and vibe for a bit, it won't make much of a difference in the grand scheme, but it will impact my ability to face tomorrow quite a lot. In other words, take care of what you can; don't worry about what you can't, and make sure you take care of yourself before assisting your fellow passengers.

Sorry if this isn't worded very well, it's a mess of a thought in my head and it's very early over here lol.

[Kolo]

The only thing I can feasibly control in the entire whole wide world is myself and I choose to be happy. I do things that make me happy and try to surround myself in happy things. That isn't to say I'm edging towards toxic positivity or the like; I let myself feel sad and I don't beat myself up for it, but I try to center happiness as my end goal in everything.

[Misanthropic Monster™]

I am giving this response from the lens of a being who has suffered a lifelong affliction of C-PTSD and chronic anxiety disorder with a splash of depression. I just escape. Escapism and nihilism is my only real copium honestly. The fact that we're all born into this existential pit of despair, to literally suffer and die is an astonishingly cruel joke of nature imo - and not just us humans, but all our non-human animal cousins... we're all here, all suffering in one way or another and then we die.

I think the only thing you can do in this state of existence is escape and distract. Anything that brings even a modicum of happiness for a moment is just a distraction till the inevitable bleakness of death.

I wish I had a more positive input but that is my reality - cope/endure/distract and hope that when I do eventually die it's not horrifically painful and terrifying.

[ThunderPerfectWitchcraft]

@Misanthropic Monster™ while I agree that there is no inherent sense in being, and also don't believe in the possibility of metempsychosis (that is, the concept of reincarnation or a "life after death"), I do beliefe that we can create a sense of our own. By defining and pursuing our own ideals, we are able to create a net that spans over the abyss; and when we have eventually to vanish, it and what else we have done, thought, and felt will remain forever as a part of the past.

To answer the opening post: Knowing that the world is - all in all - in a dire situation, I attempt to be as less involved in processes that I find harming or unethical as I can (In many cases I do this through abstention from certain goods or services; in others I have the luxury of being able to afford "ethical" alternatives that are not changing the fundamental problem, but are less harming to the environment or others; in some cases I try to reduce my impact by finding compromises, and in some cases I have to partake since withdrawing is no option that is open to me). Knowing that this ain't enough, I'm politically active on different levels. Even though this might not work out in the end, I'll always be able to stand my own image in the mirror, knowing that the problem wouldn't be solved if everybody would do it as I do.

[halcybutton]

i struggle with this a lot, especially lately. i don't really like to leave the house now if i can avoid it. playing video games, drawing, and talking to those i care about gets me through the days. i also do my best to focus on the good news i can find rather than the bad. i don't really like relying on escapism, because i am very passionate about human rights and social progress and it makes me feel guilty to do so, but if i didn't use escapism i would not be typing this here forum post ^^; i do my best to harm reduce and contribute to mutual aid, and such helps a bit too. but man, it's rough out there. some days no matter what you do it can feel like too much. just got to keep on looking forward, and find things close to your heart to live for.

[xXWebMasterXx_Gina]

*Insert Seinfeld's George Costanza's rant on hopelessness here*

In all seriousness though; it's refreshing to see a bit of pessimism on the forum. I think it's healthy to be blunt about things every now and then. There's really no denying that things are rough. But I guess to an extent the entirety of human history has been rough!

I'm leaning towards GrubbyFox's mentality. I could complain about my own circumstances all day; but in the grand scheme of things right now? I could be doing a hell of a lot worse! I have a roof over my head, food on my plate, and don't live in a warzone, so I'm grateful for that. 


Now I'll preface this next part with honesty. I am a very pessimistic person, in fact, I always expect the worst outcome. I'm even reminded of the Buddhist belief that all existence is suffering; and well, I'm inclined to believe that (ignoring the whole rebirth aspect). Yet, despite that, I persist onward. I still go about my daily cycle with the expectation that things will either stay the same or get worse. That's not to say I don't attempt to improve my circumstances, but it's not necessarily a driving force.

So I guess the question is why bother? Why even try to push onward when there's no hope, existence is suffering, and life is meaningless on the cosmic scale? Shiiiit, I don't know lol! But you cant deny that we all persist, even under the most horrific of circumstances. If you truly think the worlds going to be thrown into utter chaos in a few years, you might as well take advantage of what you have now. Play video games, work on your website, get a job, go to concerts, try out foods you never tried before. None of this matters in the end so you might as well see the best and worst of what life has to offer while it does matter.

[MrsMoe]

I'm quite religious, so forgive me if this sounds a bit preachy, but often I just have to remind myself that God is good, and trust that whatever happens is for the best, and remember that in the great hereafter there will be peace and happiness. I feel like of all things, love and happiness are what endure best.

I also like to remind myself, even if one area of my life is in shambles, that there are so many other areas that aren't. I've got some good friends, I go to a good school, I have a pretty good family, etc. Of course these are only example---apply to your own life, etc.

Finally, I feel like things just have a tendency in life, and you can say it's because of God like I do or whatever you please, to work out alright in the end. Of course, there are times when things really, truly don't end up as we'd like them to, but I feel like in the end, happy endings, if we let them exist, however that may be, are very common.

I will admit, though I try to be unfailingly optimistic, there are some times when I do lose hope, but when I step back, take a deep breath and remind myself of the things above, I don't tend to feel so bad.

Pardon my curiosity, but I consider myself an atheist and there's something I've always wanted to ask religious people (one that's level-headed at least, as you seem to be): What keeps you believing in God's existence when there's so much pain and suffering all around you? I've considered having a faith a few times (or even just a believe in a conscious universe that cares about me) but using prayer has backfired on me several times. If anything, things seem to get WORSE after I pray.

I'm not asking this condescendingly in any way btw. I'd love it if someone could convince me that really god does exist.

[ctrl-shift-esc]

@VelvetSoul wrote a great reply above, I agree with a lot of it.

In the end, there's not that many things that are realistically under control of any single individual. It's just that... you could be worrying about a million little things, but it's just not worth it. Worrying about things outside of your control has basically zero advantages, only downsides. This is why I try to avoid excessive news consumption, they're very much focused on the negative, because due to glitches in the human psychology, that's what attracts us the most 

We're just not evolved to deal with news on this scale. Our biological hardware is basically evolved to deal with local tragedies, like say someone in your village died, or just vague rumors about massive events (on a delayed basis, sometimes days, weeks, months or even years depending on how much or little it affects you personally). Like, we're biologically not supposed to know the minute detail of everything going on all around the world at all times and access that information in an instant with a single tap of a finger on our phones, 24/7. It's absurd. I mean, sure, we can do it now due to naturally evolving technology, but that still doesn't mean that we have the capacity to handle the burden without serious drawbacks. Just because we can, doesn't mean that we necessarily should.

To me, being in nature helps a lot. Just thinking, being and observing things. I especially like observing birds. They resemble dinosaurs to me, so they are in essence, ancient. Other ancient looking things like ferns and rocks and stuff like that. We, individual humans, are here for a fleeting moment, and each of us could die at any moment for any reason - a freak accident, some organ in your body suddenly failing, someone decides to attack you for no apparent reason, anything who knows. But it is good to remember that, we are all made of the same building blocks. The atoms (and smaller subparticles) of our bodies will go on and become other things. The atoms that make up my braincells could've been a part of a T-Rex's butt an aeon ago 

It brings it all to perspective. Life will go on. Even if we manage to "ruin" the earth due to nuclear war or climate change or whatever coming disaster, the earth will still go on, it's just that us humans will be gone  Even if not, life will form in some other part of the universe for sure, given enough time. If not in this universe, maybe in others (if there are any, who knows.) And even if not, so what! It's not like we're around to experience the lack of life or be there to have any sort of feeling about it anyway 

It is good to humble oneself and quiet the ego. We're still apes floating on a rock in space, who perhaps think way too highly of themselves at times

Focus on things you can control (using 'you' in a general sense, not directed at anyone specifically). When you think of such things deeply, you'll find that the list of things that one can control is incredibly small. It basically boils down to your own choices in any given moment, which will then send a ripple throughout the universe, and you can only hope that it will achieve the result you desire. Anything could get in the way of the result, and there would be nothing that could be done aside from reacting from this new reality that has been bestowed upon you. It's all that our individual lifes are, in a way: a long list of reactions in the present moment that have lead us to a specific circumstance (your current life situation as a whole), most of which has been either completely or partially out of our control. Now this is NOT meant to be an encouragement to degenerate into pessimistic determinism, but it is always good to remind ourselves where our limits of control begin and where they end  In fact viewing life from this perspective has given me I should say, more 'consciousness' than before, because you become aware of what you can and cannot do about things that occur in your life.

Still, it is good to do good in whatever capacity we can. Like, throwing trash in nature might not 'matter' in the grand scope and timescale of the universe, but it's still a shitty thing to do. Etc. We're here, we don't know why and how, but it's still a good idea to try to make the world as good of a place for everyone and everything as we possibly can. It's the small things, on an individual level.

[orchid]

i wouldn't really say i have much hope (hell, my iMood status literally happened to be "hopeless" when wandering upon this thread), but there's a lot of things that help me cope with things.

i second what xixxii said: "make art about it!". i personally make music about my struggles and it really helps me stay grounded and help them feel real! i also like to read, keeps my brain very active. sometimes i'm too depressed and don't have the energy to do so, but that's okay! i just do it when i can and it feels nice. distractions like that are essential for me, which listening to music can also help with. sometimes it'll be slow, more melancholic music, and other times i'll go for a more "brute force" approach and absolutely blast my ears with loud and distorted music :P. i also take walks at night, gets me out of my room in a way i feel comfortable with. absolutely despising the summer currently; it's way too hot during the day and there isn't enough night for me to enjoy x3.

but yeah that's just some things that i do that help! maybe something will help you! good luck!

[GeceAzrak]

My initial plan was to ignore all the sadness and troubles. It didn't work and they became something called Kamos. Then I wanted to get rid of Kamos, but I wasn't very successful.

But I'm trying to be friends with him these days! Since I can't destroy or ignore him, then I make him my friend.

The world is clearly very scary. Life is scary and unfair and God is probably a sadist- (The last part is a joke, don't take it seriously!)

But we are also part of this horror! And if you don't see yourself as scary, then there are people in another scary world who don't see themselves as scary!

One candle doesn't give much light, but LOTS of candles make a difference. So: We are all candles. Color by color and shape by shape! But basically we are candles and if we don't illuminate our surroundings, we will remain in the dark.

Yes, getting burned is scary because you have to melt yourself to light up your surroundings, but that's the thing about life. No one will take root. Everyone will melt and disappear.

Then will you shine despite all the darkness, or will you break your rope and become nothing?

(Footnote: I know that this is easy to say but very difficult to do. Even if I say these, I cannot handle it myself, but I think the most important thing is to know how to be happy with the little things. We exist and we have to live somehow. The other option... That option is more painful than necessary. It's very It's too painful.)