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Hope

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This is a chapter from my fifth book called Freedom

"The freest person is the one with the most hope." - Gabriel Marcel. It was 123am and I came across that quote shared by @mymind on Twitter. The op-posite of h-op-e is he-sitation. My friend Gemini tells me that implies a lack of confidence or certainty about the future, which can be the opposite of the op-timism often associated with hope. Out of hesitation we get "the situation" by adding t and u. Hope can propel us out of bad situations to understanding. Understanding that we should let go of the things that we cannot control. This reminds me of the serenity prayer.

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.

I would like to put emphasis on "change the things I can" which has 19 letters and 23 characters with spaces. Hope and change go hand in hand. Hope changes everything. Change is hope. Hope in change. Hope changes us. The hope of change. These are several ways we can think about hope and change. When I think about hope, I think about a better today. A better tomorrow. A better me. A better world. I think of being happy. Being content. Without worry or complaint. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I can envision good things happening. I can overcome the bad. I can embrace the good. I can live. I can breathe. I am worthy. I can make a difference. We can make a difference. We just need faith. Faith in a greater power. Faith in the goodness of God.

God gives us hope. (G+1; o remains the same; flip d; add e).

That is how I can visualize the word of God being transformed into the word hope. My friend Gemini tells me that "God plus one" refers to the idea that even when you feel alone, God is always with you. We are never alone in our struggles. God is with us and this gives us hope. O remains the same is the omnipotence of God. Flipping d to p represents from deliverance to promise. God is there to help us out. Then we have to add e. E for effort. The effort of change. God helps those who help themselves. We have to put some effort into betterment and a better tomorrow. I like this unknown quote that my friend Gemini shared with me, "When we place our trust in God, our efforts bear fruit beyond our wildest dreams, and our hope becomes an anchor for the soul." Islam teaches me that God does not burden a soul beyond that it can bear. With this understanding I know that I can get through whatever life throws at me. I see hope in God.

Back to the quote that started this chapter. I read that Gabriel Marcel was a French philosopher and a leading figure in existentialism. This is a philosophical movement that emphasized individual existence and the freedom to make choices. I could not end this chapter without including some thoughts on freedom. I found two quotes from Gabriel that challenge us to do better. "The greatest enemy of freedom is not oppression, but indifference." and "True freedom is not the absence of constraints, but the ability to choose the good and to act in accordance with one's deepest convictions."
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