Hope

“Hope” is the thing with feathers -

That perches in the soul -

And sings the tune without the words -

And never stops - at all -

And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard -

And sore must be the storm -

That could abash the little Bird

That kept so many warm-

I’ve heard it in the chillest land-

And on the strangest Sea -

Yet - never - in Extremity,

It asked a crumb - of me.

- Emily Dickinson

It is rightly said that in times of distress and despair, one finds shelter in the realm of literature. Similarly, every time, during the days of darkness and gloominess, the above quoted words by the American poet, Emily Dickinson echo in my ears and give me hope that better days will come. When everything falls apart, these words of Dickinson infuse an uplifting and resilient force within me. Hope is like an anchor which gives support to the dejected person, a guiding star which ushers a man towards the brighter days, a firm belief which always gives a message of unshakable and unwavering strength during the troubling times. It is a savior who rescues a drowning man and sometimes it is also a sweet melodious tune that whispers in the ears of a depressed man and says that this too shall pass.

In this difficult time, when every other citizen of Pakistan is struggling and suffering at a personal and political level, it may sound very idealistic to bear hope in depressed hearts, but we still need to remain hopeful and optimistic in our thoughts, conduct and demeanor. No matter how bad the circumstances are, it is hope that acts as a motivating and driving force and leads us through the hard and rough patches of life towards better and brighter days. Otherwise, we remain stuck and entangled in the vicious cycle of negativity and keep on focusing on the problems rather than finding the solutions to the problems.

Nowadays, it really makes me sad to see disappointment and less patriotic spirit amongst the Pakistani citizens, especially the youth. I see less enthusiasm and vigor on the Pakistan’s Independence Day celebrations. People depict a hopeless and downhearted attitude towards everything and undermine the importance of living in an independent country and having a national identity. This is primarily due to the political unrest, political polarization, economic instability, socio-cultural problems and the list goes on. It is true that things are not working smoothly and there are so many loopholes in the social-cultural and political system, people are not getting their civic and fundamental rights in true letter and spirit, and this leads to frustration, unrest, anxiety and depression amongst people. But the question arises how can we overcome this troublesome time? Can negative thoughts and a pessimistic, violent attitude make things any better for us? No, obviously unhealthy thoughts can do no good to us, rather deteriorate our mental health and make the present situation worse. Therefore, we need to nourish hope in our hearts because it is the hope which rekindles the dead, barren and dispirited hearts. Hope instills a positive spirit to conquer odd circumstances with calm confidence and firm determination.

Life is never a smooth journey; it comes with many adversities and challenges. The present situation of our country is a test of our mettle and resilience. These testing times demand a positive approach, and my heart has hope to see my country coming out of all the adversities soon and making progress in every field. I hope that everyone will soon realize the importance of a hopeful and optimistic approach and start working collectively for the betterment of our country. Gaining independence is important but to run a country effectively and efficiently after independence demands more concerted, collective and sincere efforts from its citizens. And we must not shy away from joining hands together for onward and upward progress of our beloved country, Pakistan. And the least we can do in our capacity is to have a positive outlook on things and life in general.

The writer is a research scholar at Lahore College for Women University.