Running Head: THE COMMUNICATION OF HOPE Carrera 1

The Communication of Hope

Danny Carrera

University of North Texas at Dallas

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Abstract

Defined as a feeling of expectation and desire for something to happen, hope is a critical

part of our life. Without hope, we can find ourselves lost or confused, attempting to find a reason

to keep pushing on during difficult times. It being such an important aspect of life, hope is a tool

that is used for different situations that we may not have considered. From the medical field to

children of refugees escaping a devastating past, hope does much more than paint a happy

picture people can only dream of seeing one day. Hope is a tool that aids in overcoming

adversities and provides a new light for those who feel all is lost.
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Introduction and Rationale

Life can bring many surprises that we may not expect or want at all. The journey we are a

part of everyday, known as life, has an expected path we plan for but it is not something that is

guaranteed. Hardships, problems, sadness, happiness, and success are all wrapped together

whether we want them or not. Even though we all go through such things, everyone experiences

them at different points in time and at different levels, but what keeps us going?

We hear countless stories from friends, family, and complete strangers of their

experiences in life. Some that we cannot fathom how they have continued to move on after such

troubling moments, moments that some never truly can let go of. So what keeps people moving

forward? What message is communicated into their lives for them to push through their troubles

and rise above them?

We all have drives in life, dreams that we want to achieve, dreams of something better.

This is where hope comes in. Hope comes in many ways and is shared in thousands more. From

listening to a touching story, a religious message, a heartwarming scene in a TV show or film,

art, and music, the message of hope is transcended into different lives that shape it into what they

need. Hope provides the motivation to explore life goals and learn new skills that will aid in the

path chosen to walk. We ask ourselves where we would be without it. How have we experienced

hope and in what ways was it communicated for us to understand the message and realize that

it’s not over yet. These are the questions that I look to answer in this paper, questions that will

help us understand just what hope is and how we can share it with others.
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Hope is a topic that has been present as far back as we can remember. Looking at Greek

mythology we can find hope in the story of Pandora, the first human woman who released

human evils into the world (Kleist, Jansen, 2016). Understanding what hope is and how it affects

our lives will allow us have a better approach to the various difficulties people face. More than

one solution to a problem will open the door to thousands of possibilities that can be used to find

the right fit for anyone. Everyone is different, each person with their own unique story. Looking

at the different ways that hope is communicated will allow for a variety of ways to reach out to

others and give them that extra push they need.

It’s hard to pin point what hope is because everyone has a definition of their own.

Understanding the various ways people view or interpret hope will allow for a better view of

how it can be molded into something that can be used to inspire everyone in their own unique

preference. A message can be communicated in many ways and the way it is communicated

yields different responses. Because of how hope can be interpreted in different manners, it opens

a door to try to understand how people receive it, but the main question we want to ask is how

that message is passed along.

There are many comments from people stating a book, film, or song touched their lives

and helped them through those difficult moments. What was written in that book? What did the

film show that touched that persons heart? What were the lyrics of the music about that helped

the listener through that dark moment in their life? It’s these questions that push me further to

understand just how hope is communicated between people, not just to have an answer but as a

way to use this knowledge to help reach out to others that need hope and receive the message

clearly in a way that is unique to just them.

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In order to understand just what hope is and how it is used, I looked at various articles

and reports that focused on the topic of hope or related findings. These readings look at different

perspectives and definitions of what hope is and how it is used in various ways such as activities,

problems faced at personal or global scales, and the effects hope has created. Finding hope is not

easy, much less when we live in a world that is filled with hunger, hatred, pollution, and climate

change (Lammot, 2018), but through these articles we can come closer to understanding what

hope is and how we can use it.

Hope for our Environment

One of the many things that plagues people’s minds is the situation within our

environmental world such as the land, oceans, and climate. The environment is something we

don’t always think about immediately due to the various tasks our daily life brings, but when we

do hear the news of what is occurring, we start to worry of what the future holds for us. In the

academic journal, Hope in the Face of Climate Change: Associations With Environmental

Engagement and Student Perceptions of Teachers’ Emotion Communication Style and Future

Orientation, Maria Ojala looks at two different kinds of hope that students have towards climate

change. The first kind of hope is constructive which is “associated with engagement and a

perception that teachers respect students’ negative emotions concerning societal issues and have

a future-oriented, positive, and solution-oriented communication style” (Ojala, 2015). The

second kind of hope is one that is based on denial. These types of students were not as pro-

environmental when compared to the first with the majority of them being boys. “Boys perceived

their teachers as less accepting of negative emotions, which explained why they felt more hope

based on denial than girls” (Ojala, 2015).

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In today’s time, climate change has become a large concern with many attempting to

implement ways of reducing the harmful effects created by various industries. Despite these

attempts, many researchers claim that hope is an important force of motivation when trying to

push others in environmental engagement, but others claim that an optimistic bias concerning

these issues is a barrier to pro-environmental changes. Acknowledging these two views is

important as they bring us to the “different sources that hope could be based on, since they are

more or less constructive seen from the perspective of environmental engagement” (Ojala, 2015).

The two kinds of hope identified earlier apply to the two views people have towards

climate change. Constructive hope is related to those who are more geared towards pro-

environmental engagement and hope based on denial is related to those who are not as concerned

or show little interest in the situation. Ojala points out that one of the weaknesses of these studies

is that hope based on denial was measured only measured by one item. As a way to avoid this

situation, the study performed on the students had various answers that stemmed from the

statement “I feel hope concerning climate change”. A few are listed below.

(1) Because I believe that research and technical solutions will contribute to the

improvement of the climate change problem (trust-others).

(2) Because I do not think that climate change is as big of a problem as certain

researchers

claim (denial).

(3) Because we as individuals can change our behavior, together we can influence climate

change in a positive direction (trust-self).

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4) Because I believe that climate change is natural and I doubt that climate change is

caused by emissions that we humans create (denial).

(5) Because the awareness about this problem has increased considerably during recent

years (positive reappraisal).

These set of answers help create a way to evaluate the kind of hope people have and a

much easier way of measuring it. With different answers that describe the way the students felt,

finding an accurate answer to determine where they fall within the two types of identified hope is

easily done. This helps guide us to creating a set of questions that will evaluate the different

types of hope someone may have. Whether it be the hope of others stepping up and working

together in creating a better future, or the hope that the world will naturally fix its climate and

continue to prosper.

Hope within the Medical Field

It is never easy to hear bad news, let alone news that you have been diagnosed with a

deadly illness such as cancer. For many it is a fear they have when getting their checkups at the

doctor, which follows with a sigh of relief when they hear that everything is ok, but for some

people that relief does not come. One thing is to receive the bad news; another is to be the bearer

of sad news. Doctors have been looking at different ways to share difficult information with their

patients in a way that will give them hope and not give up entirely on their lives. In the article,

how doctors communicate the initial diagnosis of cancer matters: cancer disclosure and its

relationship with Patients’ hope and trust, the authors looked into the relationships of patients

with their doctors, levels of hope, and levels of trust between the patients and doctors in China.
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How bad news is delivered is important because of the influence it has on the patients.

One of the conflicts is facing the differences between cultures. The way doctors approach

western patients with news will not be very effective if used in Asian countries. Special attention

is required when looking at the way cancer is disclosed to patients in Asian countries such as

Japan, who has found many patients prefer hearing the news with family. Interpersonal

relationships are one of the many things that affect hope. Relationships such as family members,

friends, and healthcare providers, like nurses, are described as sources of hope and are

encouraged to interact with people in a way that inspires hope. These relationships will help give

patients the value of life and push them to fight the illness.

It’s important to note that some people want to hear the entire thing. When patients are

not fully disclosed, their sense of hope will deteriorate. Others are not ready or do not wish to

hear the news from their doctor and would prefer their family to tell them which is a common

practice in China. Doctors must also be careful of having too high expectations. With the

advancement of technology, many patients and physicians are optimistic that their illness can be

treated which leads to overtreatment (Oostervelrd-vlug, MG, Francke, AL, Pasman, HRW,

Onwuteaka-philipsen, 2016). This is where things can get difficult since the doctor could have

trouble trying to determine which method of approach their patient would prefer and maintain

their expectations at levels that do not exceed reality.

Another important note is the delivery of treatment and the options a patient has. The

options a patient has to treat their cancer is extremely important. “The most hopeful disclosure

strategies is that doctors mention the availability of multiple treatments plans” (Cao, Qi, Han,

and Feng, 2016). When a patient has various treatments to choose from, they not only feel they

have a greater chance of fighting cancer through different methods, but they begin to have a
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sense of control. The sense of control allows the patients to feel they are not completely ruled by

the illness, which may lead to having a greater sense of hope.

How doctors deliver the news to their patients makes a huge difference in the way that

their patients will react and how far they will be willing to go. Books have even been written to

help doctors know how to deliver the news to critically ill patients and their families. The report,

Teaching docs how to have end-of-life talks by Johnson and Ross, details the views and thoughts

doctors have about these situations. Dr. Susan Block, one of the doctors interviewed, describes

her initial thoughts when asked about her process of speaking with patients. At first skeptical

about having a type of checklist, the idea grew on her after realizing how much it would help

improve beginning conversations (Johnson, Ross, 2015). Interpersonal relationships will allow

for a much easier approach since it allows people to develop a close relationship with one

another. Knowing the type of person they are will open the path for a specific approach that will

benefit said person. Just as some patients prefer to receive their news from family members,

people have different ways of receiving hope. Building a relationship will help create a better

experience for both parties and deliver better results.

Accepting Change

“Change is inevitable. Growth is optional.” Is a phrase attributed to John C. Maxwell,

that implicates a decision to make when confronted by the unavoidable changes in life. We have

the choice to maintain our way of doing things, which brings the risk of becoming stagnant or

adapting to the change and finding new methods to handle the situation. With the constant rise of

new technology, change has become a more prevalent part of our life especially within the

workplace. Author of the article “Change—Face It! Embrace It!” Doug Richards, points to the
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tsunami that is information as a prime suspect for the reason many people tend to stop in their

tracks when a change is introduced to their life.

When the environment suddenly changes, it is difficult to jump on board and adapt

because of one’s self-made routine. Within the world of financial services, financial

professionals already have to deal with various changes such as rules, regulations, and shifting

product offerings that affect their credibility and ability to help customers. Despite the hassle that

they face, this provides an advantage that helps them to constantly be on their toes at all times.

Ready to learn what new methods or rules have been implemented within their career, but what

of the changes in life that are not caused by a career? Sudden changes such as a car accident or

health issues deliver unsettling desires because they change our routine completely, ruin our

expectations, and push from our comfort zone. These changes are what the author focuses on in

the article.

The author covers five principles he sees necessary in order to overcome such changes

within life. These principles are a meaningful vision of hope, a foundation of trust, frequent

social interaction, regular and consistent communication, and a spirit of humility and love.

Focusing on a vision of hope, Richards describes people as, “Creatures motivated, inspired, and

enlivened by meaningful hope” (Richards, 2016). We create hope from items that have a deep

meaning to us. Most of these items are not from materialistic wants, but of a need, desire for an

improvement in life, or a deeper relationship. It is important to have a well-articulated and

thought out vision of hope. The vision should have the details that explain the meaning and

direction. This will help the vision have the potential to make the right kind of change because of

its ability to hold the promise of more meaningful things for the individual.
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A key point made in the article is that materialistic items do not make life more fulfilling

or meaningful. They can make it easier but a vision based solely on materialistic items will

struggle in motivating others because of the lacking desire to improve and do what is right

(Richards, 2016). When creating a vision of hope, we must take into consideration what that

vision consists of. A vision that has no direction in reaching a deeper desire within oneself will

struggle to find someone to believe in it.

Hope in Expressive Arts for Those in Need

Within the last few years, we have begun to experience the largest refugee crisis since

World War 2. There was a record of 65 million refugees in 2016 alone with one half of all

refugees estimated to be children (Demott, Jakobsen, Wentzel-larsen, Heir, 2017).

Unaccompanied minor asylum-seeking children or UASC are below the age of eighteen and are

the largest concern for the High Commissioner of Refugees. The article, A controlled early group

intervention study for unaccompanied minors: Can Expressive Arts alleviate symptoms of

trauma and enhance life satisfaction, focuses on using a controlled study in order to study the

effects of expressive arts towards UASCs’ hoping to determine if such things could alleviate

symptoms of trauma and enhance hope. One hundred forty five UASCs between the ages of 15

and 18 were placed into two different groups. One group provided 10 sessions for 5 weeks of

expressive arts (EXIT) while the other was life as usual (LAU).

The UASCs in the EXIT group participated in various types of activates such as getting

in groups to introduce themselves and make a movement related to an activity they liked,

imagining a safe place and describing what they saw, and finding their “resource animal” which

focused on self-efficacy. The results from the both groups revealed that there was no huge

difference when it came to the experiences from previous stressful life events they had faced.
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When looking at the life satisfaction score, the refugees in EXIT had a much higher score than

those in the LAU.

Even though some results from the two groups did not differ significantly, the EXIT

program has shown potential in providing alleviation and as a coping mechanism for symptoms

of trauma and promoting life satisfaction and hope. This study has shown that using expressive

arts will help bring up a positive image for a struggling individual and not only increase their

satisfaction in life but promote hope as well.

Pages of Hope

When we need information, the first thing people will look for is an article or book based

on the subject. Kristine Morris talks about various books that shed light on what hope might look

like in her review titled Hope and You Shall Receive. Morris views these books as a way to

“open our arms wide to the larger world with authenticity, passion, kindness, and service”

(Morris, 2018).

One of the books she discusses, Extra Helping: Recipes for Caring, Connecting, and

Building Community One Dish at a time by Janet Reich Elsbach, is a cookbook that instructs the

reader on special dishes to help people. These dishes are a way to say, “I care” when words alone

cannot do the job. What makes this book unique when compared to other recipe books is its

characterization through life events. Some of these life events are to sooth a mother’s nerves,

comfort those who are grieving, or cheer up someone who is recovering from an illness. A neat

addition is the inclusion of large meals for gatherings such as extended family or community

events. The book provides different multicultural recipes to add new flavors into the mix and

special modifications for unique dietary needs.

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In the review for the book, HOPE RISING: How the Science of Hope Can Change Your

Life by Casey Gwinn and Chan Hellman, Morris informs the reader that hope is not just a

helpless wish or a breakable idea. Hope is something that can be measured, learned, made of

goals, and willpower (Morris, 2018). The authors explain their sorrow for the hopelessness they

see in America. Using reports, they cite many rising problems such as medical illnesses rising

and less than half of American children being hopeful. The science and language of hope is

classified as the antidote to fear and distress. The book provides many stories of trauma that tell

the reader how they were overcome through the power of hope and detail an inspiring vision for

a new culture of hope that would change the world.

Not only do these books demonstrate different ways of expressing hope and explain what

it is, but they also show us that hope is something that can be shared through written text. Hope

is not just a feeling or an idea, but something that can be rationally explained and shared through

a delicious meal.

Conveying Hope in The Face of life-threatening Diseases

Earlier we covered the important relationships doctors have with their patients in order to

help them bear difficult news of diseases like cancer. Even though cancer is a life-threatening

disease, there are a few different types of cancers that are treatable. This allows the treatment to

be a vessel of hope for the patient, but what happens when the disease is not treatable? In the

article, Conveying hope in consultations with patients with life-threatening diseases: the balance

between supporting and challenging the patient, Werner and Steihaug conduct a study that

focuses on the consultations of a doctor and a patient with incurable cancer.

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It’s already been stated that a strong relationship between a doctor and the patient is

necessary in order to deliver the news in the best and appropriate manner for the patient. The

article looks at the relationship between the doctor and patient along with the doctor’s way of

conveying hope. Werner and Steighaug were given access to 380 videos from doctor-patient

encounters. They took a randomized sample of eighty videos in which they identified four

encounters where hope was the main topic of the conversation and chose one of them. The

consultation starts with the patient explaining his journey with the doctor listening. The doctor

begins to demonstrate some common ground between the two when they engage in a

conversation about ice hockey.

The small talk is viewed as a way for the doctor to build and reinforce the relationship

with the patient. Hearing the patient talk about his life allows the doctor to learn about the

patient’s feelings and his health. Throughout the conversation, the doctor is seen as empathetic

and understanding, recognizing the patient’s feelings. The doctor then shows his disagreement

with the patient when he is informed that the patient’s children are not aware of his illness. The

patient remains with his choice to not inform his children where the doctor lets him know that he

does not agree but understands that it’s the patient’s decision and respects it. The consultation

ends with the doctor informing the patient that attitude plays an important role within the process

of the illness and asks the patient to continue to come and be more attentive in taking his

medicine.

Establishing a relationship with someone is only the start of helping said person. It is

important to know how to listen, what to say, and when to speak to the person in need (Werner,

Steihaug, 2017). Being empathetic will help reach common ground with the other and

demonstrate understanding of the situation. It is also necessary to understand when you must
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share your thoughts on a matter and not push or force that person to change their choice. Helping

convey hope is not about speaking to the person in need, but listening to them, letting them know

that help is there, and provide the necessary information that will help them through their

struggle.

Hope in the Political Spectrum

Hope has become a prevalent word within politics, but its actual function has failed to be

implemented within the political life. In the article, “Hope, Danger’s Comforter”: Thucydides,

Hope, Politics, Schlosser looks at the Greek word of hope within Thucydides’ history and how it

can be connected successfully into politics. Thucydides was an ancient Greek historian and

author of the Peloponnesian War. Schlosser takes focus from Thucydides’ “Median Dialogue”

which characterizes hope as “danger’s comforter”. Schlosser views the Greek word “elpis”,

which means “expectation” or “hope”, as a suggestion that hope can come from strength and

confidence. This interpretation is derived from Thucydides’ treatment of the word when it jumps

between the strong hopes of the Peloponnesians in their navy to the ludicrous hope of Nicias for

victory in Sicily while his army lies in ruin (Schlosser, 2012). What Schlosser is trying to explain

is to understand what kind of hope lies within someone. A true belief in something that shows

promise like the Peloponnesians did in their navy, or one that is lost and holds no expectation

like Nicias did for victory while his army was in shambles.

The usage of hope within the American political discourse has barely been criticized

which leads into false delusions of hope. “To put the apparent argument briefly: as an individual

and collective phenomenon, hope can serve to blind human beings to reality, deluding them into

believing that their wildest fantasies might come true and that what lies beyond reach is easily

attainable” (Schlosser 2012). Hope is a powerful tool but, just like anything else, it can be used
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incorrectly which will lead to problems. We don’t want to shatter the dreams of a child when he

says his dream is to fly, but when he plans to achieve this is by jumping off a cliff and flap his

arms quickly, we have to show them the reality which is he can’t. Hope does not have to stop

there. We can tell them that their method is not a good one and teach them the reality of the

situation and guide them towards a more realistic and believable path such as encouraging them

to become a pilot. “Hope comforts danger in the sense that it attends it; a hope-fueled politics is a

dangerous and self-destructive politics” (Schlosser, 2012). Schlosser is telling us that a political

stance purely held on hope alone is not only dangerous, but sets everyone on a path of

destruction.

Believing in something better and following dreams is great but we cannot get lost within

a false sense of hope that is far from reality. People want to get behind someone that has faith in

a better future and will blindly follow their empty promises of hope, which will only lead to

further disappointment. Carefully analyzing the situation and how it will be resolved within the

walls of reality will prevent further harm and allow for a much more mature approach and usage

of hope.

Using Hope for the Community

In the article Hope, Communication, and Community Building, the author describes hope

as a practice that involves working together to create written or spoken ideas that bring about

new possibilities, which will mobilize the necessary resources to create action and belief (Barge,

2003). Barge analyzes the practices of Imagine Chicago, a community-building organization that

puts emphasis on hope as a core element of theirs. Hope has been reconceptualized as a

communication perspective, making it a type of discursive practice. This means that a

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community of people are able to create new images of possibility for social relationships, which

will be set on a path of action and belief.

From a communication perspective, hope is about developing rich textured vocabulary

that demonstrate the belief of a future that is open and can be developed by moving imagery.

Various community-building efforts and interventions have helped recognize the importance of

hope within a communication perspective. Bliss Browne, president and CEO of Imagine

Chicago, created the organization because of her growing concern for the city, which was rapidly

deteriorating. The division within the city caused by racial, economic, and social motives began

to take away what was the most precious resource the city had, their youth (Barge, 2003).

Browne resigned from a 16-year corporation to focus on the development of something that

would nourish the lives of the citizens of Chicago. This would lead to the creation of Imagine

Chicago, a non-profit organization that would foster the hope and imagination of its citizens.

Imagine Chicago has held many activities and events since its creation in 1992 such as

interviewing “glue people” who were citizens that helped keep the community together. These

activities allowed the youth to see how everyday people helped their community and how they

could help maintain their city together.

Our communication plays an important role when we want to convey hope. The words

we use can be a vessel for ideas and beliefs to help others understand the meaning we have and

what we hope for. Opening opportunities to unite people and letting them communicate their

dreams and ideas with others will bring about new opportunities and inspiration for others to

voice their own words of hope.

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Troubles because of Hope

We want people to be honest with us even though it may not always be pleasant, this is of

course is not always the outcome. We can however expect our doctor to tell us the truth about

our situation; in Italy however, that is not always the case. It is common in many traditional

Catholic countries to resist some if not all forms of communication. The authors of Deception,

Catholicism, and Hope: Understanding Problems in the Communication of Unfavorable

Prognoses in Traditionally-Catholic Countries, look into the issues posed by the Catholic

teachings of truth, lies, and their meaning of hope. It was not always common for physicians to

tell their patients the truth about their situations. In the past, it was not their main goal to prolong

patients’ lives and has just recently become a characteristic of medicine as it has evolved and

improved.

Speaking the truth is a virtue within the contemporary Catholic Church but not something

that is absolutely valued. The Catechism or summary of principals, for the Catholic Church states

that charity and respect should lead the response to every request for information or

communication. Honesty must stay bound to love and respect for fellow man which seemingly

allows the truth to be concealed if it will cause pain or suffering (Toscani, Maestroni, Farsides,

2006). The Catholic Church’s attitude towards the telling of the truth to terminally ill patients has

been contradictory.

The church has always taught that death is a transitional event that the dying must be

prepared for so they can fulfill their religious and human commitments. The authors conclude

that the most influential ethics are the Catholic’s, which say the truth must be told but in a

cautious way that will not destroy hope (Toscani, Maestroni, Farsides, 2006). Through this

article, we see how different views of hope can create conflict for one’s well-being. Even though
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the Catholic Church is attempting to respect and follow its beliefs, their limitations for speaking

the truth also limits the deliverance of hope. In the church’s attempt of preserving hope by

limiting the truth, they are actually preventing the patient from understanding what their situation

is and making the best with the time they might have left.

Breaking barriers

When facing adversities, the end goal for everyone is peace. Despite this, the various

ideas and relationships people have often keep them from achieving that dream. Known as

communal conflict, this is often seen within communities that share one identity. These

communities lack trust amongst each other, viewing one’s gains as the other’s loss, which causes

potential shared interests to go unnoticed. James H. Read and Ian Shapiro talk about

“Strategically Hopeful Action” in the article, Transforming Power Relationships: Leadership,

Risk, and Hope. The authors define strategically hopeful action as a risk that is taken during

complex situations with careful calculations. The plan is to replace a destructive affair with a

new and better system (Read, Shapiro, 2014).

It is important to think critically and devise a well thought out plan to produce results for

chronic conflicts. Wishful thinking is not be enough since it can cause recklessness. Whatever

plan is created, it must have hope within the coordinated “attack” as willingness is necessary in

order to take personal risks for a better future (Read, Shapiro, 2014). This display of hope adds

an ingredient of production at a time that is essential. The authors relate the communal conflicts

to that of prisoner’s dilemma (PD). PD, in game theory, is a situation where two players have

two options in which the outcome depends on the simultaneous choice made by the other. Many

conflicts faced can be resolved easily if there was some mutual trust between both parties.

Strategical hopeful action demonstrates the usage of hope with critical thinking. It shows us that
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mindless wishful thinking will not be enough when it comes to resolving difficult problems that

often times are caused by a lack of trust.

The missing Piece

Often times all we hear from the news are stories of tragedies or ongoing conflicts around

the world, country, or our community. One of the consistent stories heard is that of drugs, more

specifically the opioid crisis. “Recognition and coverage over the problem is welcomed but at the

same time worrisome” (Johnson, 2016). Hope: The missing piece in news coverage about the

opioid epidemic is an article by Kim Johnson that focuses on the lack of hope provided from

media’s attention over the opioid crisis. Instead of focusing on stories about tragedy and harm

reduction, the news media is being called to focus on the treatment of addiction and how it truly

works. A narrative is being developed by the media, which conveys a message that there is no

recovery available for struggling victims other than just medicine and psychology. This is false

however since people have been able to recover and medicine and psychology have been used

along with treatment for decades (Johnson, 2016).

When attention is placed on unpleasant stories or events, the given idea is that there is

nothing good to be found which projects a false message. This deteriorates the sense of hope a

person could use in their time of need. Focusing on all aspects of a situation and providing all the

details will keep a false narrative from becoming a reality and provide the missing piece that is

hope.
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Methodology

We have looked at the various ways hope is used and communicated from the medical field

to books and education but now I wanted to look at how hope is present in the lives of everyday

people. In order to get information that is more intimate, I, along with my co-host Rubi Reyes,

questioned several random strangers for our podcast DR Talks. The target audience were those

from the age range of 18 and over. The goal was to identify each person’s definition of hope and

an experience in their life of something or someone that helped them during a troubling time. In

order to get this information along with as much detail as possible, the following questions and

requests were made for each interviewee to provoke deep and honest responses.

1. In your own words, define hope.

2. What is hope to you?

3. What comes into your mind when you hear the word hope?

4. Can you tell us about a difficult moment in your life?

5. What helped you get through it?

6. Would you consider your aid as the source of your hope?

7. Has that aid helped you overcome other difficult moments?

8. Does it continue to be a ray of hope in your life?

During the interviews, I will be asking strangers if they are willing to answer a few questions

about the topic. If they accept, then we will proceed to a quiet and private location in order to

record the interview without any interruptions. A brief introduction about the interviewee will be

requested which will follow with the questions seen above.

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Analysis

Before the interviews began, there was a common belief that many people would look at

their family as their source of hope or friends. Religion was a consideration but not many tend to

be very open about it so the thought was acknowledged but not seen as a popular answer people

would give. Those who were interviewed showed a bit of nervousness but after the initial

questions, they responded quickly and confidently. A few found the first two questions a bit

confusing but after some explanation, they were able to answer them with no issue.

The two popular answers given as the source of hope that helped the interviewees were

their friends and religion. Family was mentioned but not to the extent as friends were with

someone mentioning their grandparents. Those who viewed their friends as a source of hope did

so because of the help they received during a difficult class and a traumatic event where they

helped the person overcome their fear. An interesting answer given for the question about how

one of the interviewees overcame their difficult moment was the fact that they really had no

choice but to get through it.

Those who were open about their religion surprised me a bit since it is not something

many tend to speak about so openly at times. It was noted that those who saw their religion or

faith as their source of hope had a much more difficult experience when compared to the stories

of those who claimed their friends were their hope. Both had experienced a loss in their life; one

lost her grandmother and had to step up to support her mother and sister through the difficult

time and the other witnessed the separation of her parents. These two claimed that God had given

them the strength to get through these difficult moments and continued to do so through many

more such as in their job or school.

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Discussion

Hope is an important aspect of life that is engraved within us. No matter what happens

we always strive to be better or look to have a better life. Hope has many ways of being

communicated and is not just limited to happy thoughts we can one day dream of becoming true.

It is used to give people inspiration and show them that there is still much more left to fight for.

Doctors use hope as a way to help patients that have been diagnosed with a terminal illness who

would otherwise give up on life completely. Child refugees are exposed to hope through

different activities that help them express their passions and talents through ways that distract

them from their past or current situation.

This project has helped open a bigger view of what hope is and the different ways it is

used. It lets us see that hope is communicated through books, friends, family, religion, and self-

finding activities. Our society must see that hope is a critical part of life and it must be used to

provide that added push to see progress within all aspects of our world. We need hope in order to

push through the difficult moments that life will inevitably send. Whether those moments are

from difficulties in school or dealing with the loss of a loved one, hope is in our life taking many

forms.
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Conclusion

This project was able to bring together many views of what hope is and the way that it is

implemented. With such a large expansion, it is difficult to find all the different ways that hope is

used. A start has been established and creates a segment for further expansion into new areas that

were not touched on such as music or the psychological aspect of hope which touches on hope

theory. Finding articles that gave different views on hope was a bit troublesome but it

demonstrates the need to look deeper into the matter.

This study has helped further understand what hope is and its importance to our society.

The impact it has is so great that it can change a person’s will to live. The knowledge that I have

gained has been eye opening but still leaves that desire to seek more. To discover new ways in

which hope is implemented and used. The list can go on for eternity but the desire to uncover as

much as possible runs closely behind. I hope to continue this research further in the future,

looking into the different ways people react and use hope within their daily lives.

Throughout life, we will always find ourselves with tribulations. In a world that is riddled

with war and constant suffering, hope is a necessity to overcome these conflicts. Religion,

family, books, and music are all different in their own right but when under the cover of hope,

they all function in a similar manner for any individual looking to find something to help them

look up again and push on.

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