Be Hopeful
- March 3rd, 2010 |
- Category: Harold's Corner
As healthcare clinicians caring for a patient with a poor prognosis, we often tell the patient’s family members to not give up on hope. As if hope will reveal certain principles of truth, which when applied are the solution of all issues, and the healing of all ills. Hope has the capacity to start the family member thinking, thereby preparing the ground for the advancement of progress. Hope is what helps all of us to get through our worst days.
You’ve probably heard the tale of Pandora opening her fabled box. It seems Pandora, as Greek mythology goes, opened the box and released all the evils inside. When she realized what she had done, she quickly closed the box trapping hope inside. The Greeks considered hope to be as dangerous as the world’s other evils. She soon discovered that without hope to offset their troubles, humanity was filled with despair. So, Pandora released hope as well. In the myth, hope was more potent than any of the other major evils.
Think about the word “impossible” and what a devastating effect it has. Thinking stops. Progress is halted. Doors are slammed shut. Dreams are discarded. Hope looks at what is possible, and builds on that. Buried dreams are resurrected and a great new era of adventure, experimentation, expansion, and prosperity is born.
Even though the reality of the outcome of our patient is poor, it may be futile to council the family members not to lose hope, because all hope is lost. Remember that hope believes every cloud has a silver lining, and when that cloud rains, it makes things grow. Then the sun comes out again, and we are so glad Pandora didn’t keep hope trapped in her fabled box. – Harold Sterling, CEO





Visit us at:
facebook
flickr
flickr