On hope


The evolution and survival of a species depend on its ability to weather challenges and dangers. As humans, we have been given the unique gift of consciousness. With it come many abstract emotions and ideas. Some aid in survival, others don’t. The capacity for hope is unique to humans.

What exactly is hope?

Charles Richard “Rick” Snyder (1944-2006) — an academic who spent a lifetime on the study of hope — established the Hope Theory. His work on the subject is seminal. Snyder states that there are three main elements that constitute hopeful thinking:

  • Goals โ€“ Handling life in a goal-oriented fashion.
  • Pathways โ€“ Finding or delineating routes to reach your goals.
  • Agency โ€“ Summoning up the physical and emotional strengths to ย initiate events and work towards these goals.

What cannot be measured, cannot be improved.

Being the scientist that he was, Snyder devised three scoring systems for objective measurement of a nebulous entity like hope.

1. The Adult Dispositional Hope Scale (ADHS). It is a self-reported questionnaire of 12 items.ย Total scores range from a minimum of 8 to a maximum of 64 with high scores reflecting high levels of hope
2. The Adult State Hope Scale (ASHS). One drawback to the ADHS is that it assesses hope solely as a baseline trait. It only measures an individualโ€™s general level of hope. Hope levels may vary based on specific circumstances. (ASHS) assesses goal-directed thinking in any given moment or situation.
3. The Adult Domain Specific Hope Scale measures an individualโ€™s level of hope in six specific areas: social, academic, family, romance/relationships, work/occupation and leisure activities.

The scales make it possible to compare assessments across different groups and times.


Hope is the best predictor of success, better than optimism

A growing corpus of scientific research has shown that hope enhances academic success.

  • A study conducted by a group of British academics found that hope is not just linked to academic achievement, but it is a better predictor of success than IQ tests, personality, or past academic performance.
  • Researchers at Santa Clara University discovered in 2014 that hope was the most constant predictor of GPA, edging out optimism.

When you lack hope, you are more prone to set “mastery objectives,” which are straightforward, doable activities that are not difficult and do not contribute to your growth. Pursuing mastery targets signifies a loss of control over one’s circumstances, making it simpler to give up.


Realistic optimism

There is a middle ground between starry-eyed optimism and relentless dark thinking. It’s called “realistic optimism“. Realistic optimists believe they will succeed, but emphasize that they have to make success happen through their own efforts.


Surfacing from the depths of hopelessness, into creativity

(By Francesco Jodice – ticket:2013022110009441, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24823403)

The Japanese word hikikomoriย translates to “pulling inward.” It was coined in 1998 by Japanese psychiatrist Tamaki Saitล to describe a burgeoning social phenomenon among young people who, feeling the extreme pressures to succeed in their school, work, and social lives, decided to withdraw from society for at least six months.

In recent years, there has been a subtle change in how people understand the phenomena, manifested through increased awareness of the complexity of the experience. It can beย understood as a radical act of introversion and self-discovery.

Kazumi Leiri, a recovering recluse, suggests that there is no need to hurry to retie social bonds, rather to “tie small knots, little by little.” Creative expression could be a powerful way to both share experiences of isolation and to reconnect with others within and beyond the state.


{P}rescriptions for a sustainable future – Rx 2 – 2023

CONTENTS
About this series (click to read)

โžก๏ธย Banning straws might be good for the planet โ€“ but bad for people with disability or swallowing problems. What is ‘eco-ableism’?
โžก๏ธWe donโ€™t need โ€˜miracleโ€™ technologies to fix the climate. We have the tools now.”
โžก๏ธย “How green roofs can help cities” (YouTube video)
(Click on the title to go to the article. As you scroll down, an arrow will appear on the right, bottom corner. Click on it to return to the top.)


“Banning straws might be good for the planet โ€“ but bad for people with disability or swallowing problems. What is ‘eco-ableism’?”
Kate Anderson | The Conversation

๐•‹๐”ธ๐•‚๐”ผ ๐”ธ๐•Ž๐”ธ๐•๐•Š

โœ… Many states ban single-use plastics, including straws. While this is a win for the environment, it comes at a price for social inclusion, as many people with disability rely on plastic straws to safely enjoy drinks.
โœ… Sustainable alternatives are available, but these are often unsafe or unusable for consumers with complex medical needs. This is an example of eco-ableism, which occurs when environmental policy, design, or campaigns discriminate against people with disability.
โœ… An inclusive approach to sustainability is the best way to protect fundamental human rights and the environment, and research shows it is also good for business.

โ–ถ๏ธ๐Ÿ“„ Read the article

๐Ÿ”‘ย #disability #straws #change #creativity #wellness #P4life #sustainability


“We donโ€™t need โ€˜miracleโ€™ technologies to fix the climate. We have the tools now.”
Mark Z Jacobson | The Guardian

๐•‹๐”ธ๐•‚๐”ผ ๐”ธ๐•Ž๐”ธ๐•๐•Š

โœ…ย We don’t need “miracle” technology to address the climate. We already have access to the resources that will enable us to do so, such as wind, water, and solar (WWS) energy, storage for electricity, heat storage, cold storage, hydrogen storage, and energy-efficient electrical products.
โœ…ย With a $62 trillion initial capital investment, a 2050 WWS system would pay for itself in less than six years thanks to the $11 trillion in annual energy cost reductions.
โœ…ย In addition, around forty percent of the carbon dioxide that is caught today is utilised to facilitate the extraction of further oil from the earth. This results in the release of approximately seventy-three percent of all of the carbon dioxide that is currently being captured.
โœ…ย The climate catastrophe may be mitigated if enough people buy into the idea of change and government leaders are committed to action.

โ–ถ๏ธ๐Ÿ“„ Read the article

๐Ÿ”‘ย #ClimateChange #technology #skills #strategy #wellness #sustainability


“How green roofs can help cities”
NPR | via YouTube

๐•‹๐”ธ๐•‚๐”ผ ๐”ธ๐•Ž๐”ธ๐•๐•Š

โœ… Urbanisation leads to loss of green cover. Here’s an innovative approach to countering this loss.

๐Ÿ”‘ย #ClimateChange #urbanisation #roof #garden #greening #change #creativity #inspiration #strategy #sustainabilityย 


In the infinity of the cosmos, our Earth might well be the only place where Life exists. Yet, we have devastated this miracle and are now poised at the edge of a frightening abyss of desolation. Every one of us needs to act, and act fast. The key word to continuing to enjoy the bounty of Life is “sustainability.” The Earth, as Mahatma Gandhi remarked, can satisfy all our needs but very little of our greed. This is an ongoing series of articles focusing on the issues of renewability and sustainability.


(Graphics and images – Vecteezy.com Pro Licence)

Good “dumb questions” can flush out valuable information


“๐•Š๐•ฅ๐• ๐•ก ๐•ฅ๐•ฃ๐•ช๐•š๐•Ÿ๐•˜ ๐•ฅ๐•  ๐•’๐•ค๐•œ “๐•ค๐•ž๐•’๐•ฃ๐•ฅ ๐•ข๐•ฆ๐•–๐•ค๐•ฅ๐•š๐• ๐•Ÿ๐•ค” || ๐Ÿ†ƒ๐Ÿ…ธ๐Ÿ…ป โœ… A Smart Question is a query designed to advertise the wisdom of the asker. … how counterproductive feigning intelligence [is] during the process of trying to collect [information]. โœ… Big Dumb Questions (BDQs) … Really revelatory and surprising answers can come from extremely basic questions.

๐Ÿ“„โ–ถ๏ธ Read the article


๐Ÿ”‘ question