Life

The Simple Truth: Every Human Alive Wants to Feel Hope

“There isn’t one human alive who doesn’t want to feel hope.”

I watched that sentence crash into my friend and make her stop. She looked down, grabbed a pen, and said,

“Can you please repeat that? I just wanna… I just wanna jot that down.”

I nodded.

“There isn’t one person alive who doesn’t want to feel hope.”

She smiled.

“Don’t be surprised when I steal this.”

I was wrapping up a call with my friend who was stuck in a season of suffering — one of those times when life seems to be saying, “Oh, you think that’s bad? Hold my beer.”

And it had taken a toll on her.

She was worn down, heavy-hearted, and more than anything, looked like she just needed a friend.

We were talking about writing, and she told me she wanted to write a book about hope. And to be honest, that’s what prompted my response.

But what surprised me wasn’t what I said.

It was her reaction.

It physically moved her.

It was like letting a cat outside for the first time and watching it realize there’s a whole world beyond the front door.

Which there is.

But for me? It was just… just obvious.

Like pointing at the sky and saying,

“Hey, you see that big yellow thing in the sky? That’s called the sun. And remember, don’t try to touch it because it’s hotter than hell.”

Of course everyone wants hope.

I mean, really — who wakes up thinking, “Man, I’m looking forward to an awful day, pass me the coffee so I can spill it on my pants.”

But that’s when it hit me: what’s obvious to you — or to me — isn’t always obvious to someone else.

Which is why you can’t underestimate what you know.

Nor should you. 

So let me just say this, as clearly as I can:

Every human alive wants to feel hope.

Every human wants to believe that things can get better.

That their story isn’t over.

That good times are still out there, waiting to be found. 

And if you can help someone see that — if you can help them lean into their own hope —

Sometimes that’s the difference between letting go and hanging on.

That’s the message.

Please like, comment, share, and tell me what you think. Do you agree?

18 thoughts on “The Simple Truth: Every Human Alive Wants to Feel Hope”

  1. I have a friend whose husband died this morning. While not totally unexpected, it was much quicker than anticipated. They were the first to do something for someone else and the last to want something done for them, now her. Now how tell hope they let us do for her as she has done for dozens of others.

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  2. Agreed. And we are blessed and more hopeful ourselves when we help others “lean into their hope” as my wife and I are trying to do as service missionaries for the addiction recovery program, “Healing through the Savior.” Hope is powerful.

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  6. Thank you for shining light on hope. I wrote in my book, Science and Spirituality, “The motive to inspire is one and the same as seen in evidence of all the people, flowers, and galaxies that inspire us with hope and possibility.
    “Desires are spiritual and that is why eating a carton of ice cream proves unsatisfying. The science of spirit translates the material back into its original spiritual meaning and we can eat the right amount of ice cream.”

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  8. Great stuff. “Every human wants to believe that things can get better.” Of course my crazy brain keeps thinking of a similar line from the movie Shawshank Redemption: “hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.”

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  9. Hi. Cynically existing over here! “Hope” is a 4-letter curse word for me any more. For me, it feels like every time I garner some of it, it gets obliterated and I’m left feeling even worse than if I’d just… not?

    But, I do love your perspective. It is true that I don’t look forward to having shitty days and such, but hope is dangerous for me. Some day, I hope (hehe) that changes.

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