Macabre Thoughts on Hope

You know the story of Pandora? Lovely Greek lady, who is entrusted by the gods, with a box and told not to open it under any circumstances. Unknown to her, the box contains all the ills of man. Pandora, unable to contain her curiosity, opens the box and all the woes of man are unleashed on the world - greed, wrath, envy etc.. As Pandora fearfully realises what she has done, she peers into the box and sees something small and shining at the bottom. This was Hope.

Most people see that as an uplifting ending. Hope is the thing that keeps people going when life becomes almost unbearable, right? Through disease, hardship and labour, as long as there is hope in man, we are able to persevere. Otherwise, I believe many people in anguish would choose to opt-out.

That being said, I've asked myself why was hope in a box filled with afflictions made for mankind. Afflictions made to make us suffer (that's what afflictions do obviously). My mind proposes that hope is an affliction as well. One that extends suffering but is bolstered by society as a virtue. And so, humans will seek out hope even when nothing in their experience tells them that there is a reason to.

Imagine you are an all-powerful god, with the will to see suffering and the ability to impose it. Wouldn't it be the chef's kiss to include something that compels your victim to continue on in the torment because they have a belief (no matter how irrational) that things can improve? If I were a sick f*ck, I'd be cackling at my genius.

"it's really just the masterful finish of a sadistic fetish."

So my take on hope: that it's really just the masterful finish of a sadistic fetish. That's not to say that I don't hope myself; I am human and can't escape it - but the lesson I take out of these ponderings is to be wary of false hope. Don't waste time and don't torture yourself in situations where you may have the power to change your circumstances.

At the same time, there are those who are undeniably trapped in their circumstances and it is hope that keeps them breathing, false or not. In the same vein, there are countless stories of people surviving on their faith and belief, overcoming seemingly insurmountable traumas - and thus passing hope on to their witnesses.

We will continue to carry small, shining, heavy hope as an amulet and binding weight.

Let me know what you think of my macabre thoughts and if your mind ever leads you down dimly lit halls. Please tell me I'm not alone! :}

p.s. Did you know Pandora was the Greeks' first woman on earth? The similarities to Eve are quite a coincidence 🤔. Here's a link to a popular version of the story.