The Hope of Karen.

by Karen Bradley

Do I have hope? Yes. Do I have it all the time? No. Do we need God to have
hope? Some do. Some don't. That is my take on it in a nutshell.

I believe hope is an ever-changing, always evolving thing. It has many faces
and levels. I hope for world peace. I hope for good health. I hope for a
fullfilling life. I also hope that my paycheck comes on time, that I survive
my horrible commute everyday without ending up in some car pile-up that seems
to occur on a daily basis on the DC beltway, I hope that gravity does not
continue to drag my boobs to the ground before I turn 40, I hope that my
sister's unborn child will be healthy, I hope that I will be able to have my
own child someday, I hope my students will pass their tests - graduate-and
become productive members of society, and I hope my boyfriend remembers to
put the seat down.

I also have hope for the human race, but isn't that also faith? Do you need
religion for that? I don't know. All I know is that regardless of whatever
personal depression I may be in for whatever reason at any given time, I have
always had an optimism about humanity. Even amidst all the wars, pain,
suffering, evil doing and the like, there have always been those who rise
above and drag us all kicking and screaming onto the next step. So many
people see the glass as half empty and harp on the crap rather than recognize
the strides we have made. My ability to see this has nothing to do with God
and has everything to do with common sense and the fact that I have a heart,
a mind, and my eyes are wide open. So many "religious" folk find it hard to
believe that someone like our squirrel friend could have hope without God
because they actually don't have any hope themselves and refuse to believe in
the possibility of a pure soul who needs nothing outside of himself to make
him happy and hopeful.

But what about God, Karen? What about your own belief, you ask? Well, it is
probably best that I just say that I am an agnostic. Actually, I was raised
christian and I often wrestle with the idea myself. I am not anti-religion or
anti-God. In fact, I find spirituality to be a beautiful thing and fault
nobody for believing or not believing. Sometimes I would like to believe
there is a God and that my loved ones who have passed are with him/her and
watching over me. What a comforting thought! But whether one believes in a
creator or not, is irrelevent to the idea of hope -- in my opinion. I find it
both disturbing and humorous that those who call themselves "Christians" jump
at the chance to attack people like the Squirrel. To me, it seems
contradictory to their supposed beliefs and why anyone would want to attack
someone's hope is beyond me. Why would you think you are qualified to squash
someone's hope just because they do not share your religious doctrine? Don't
misunderstand, I am not at all concerned about Squirrel letting anyone squash
his hope -- he is much stronger than that, and I know your hearts are in the
right place, It's just that I am always amazed at the zealousness of your
supposed "helpful" advice. Telling someone that they are going to hell if
they don't agree with you sounds a lot like brainwashing to me.

Hope is an individual thing and beyond judgement. It is a powerful thing and
gives us strength. It is also none of your business where someone else gets
theirs from. Do whatever you gotta do to get it. If God gives you
hope...great. If you give yourself hope...great. If a particular event in
your life gave you hope...wonderful. Maybe hope visits you everyday through
mother nature or the human race. However hope comes to you, accept it and
embrace it. Does it really matter where it comes from?

Here's HOPING for ya!
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