Episode 99 – The Painful Dance of Hope and Fear

We tend to think of hope and fear as opposites, but they are intimately entangled with one another • they are both based on our desires and our hopes, our expectations of what the future might bring: what we want to happen, what we don’t want to happen, and what we fear might happen • sometimes hope describes a positive outlook, one that is connected with a certain kind of confidence • but it also could be connected with a certain kind of naivete that things will just work out — just hoping for the best • the more positive kind of hope is a present attitude: instead of focusing on what we want to happen and fear that won’t, it’s a kind of a confidence that whatever happens, we can see it in a positive light • it’s useful to recognize the difference between this positive and helpful kind of hope, and one where we find ourselves trapped in the roller coaster of hope and fear • we can acknowledge our wishes, our fears, and all our projections and expectations • we can acknowledge them but not get trapped in them; we can rest with the current situation as it is right now, right here.