Hope is not an illusion. It’s the realization that, come what may, things COULD get better, because they sometimes do.

Good times, bad times, we just try to roll with the punches. People do at times, deserve to be reminded we have survived bad times, therefore we can probably survive whatever we’re experiencing now. That’s just what it takes to keep on trucking. I have no problem with the Santa Clause myth, because it reminds people there ARE good people in the world and therefore good reason to keep on, keeping on. However, when someone tries to take advantage of our desire to be convinced that there is something more to life than the pain and turmoil we see,,,well, then I take umbrage. Sylvia Brown appears ro be one of those making profit from that simple desire to believe in something greater than ourselves. I am a great fan of the Delai LAma, a man oft described as the Living Buddah. He describes himself however, as “Just a man,,,” Jerry Garcia was well aware of the all to human tendency to worship the exceptional and took great pains to let people know he was,”,,,just a musician.” Yet still, there were many who literally worshipped him, a fat, hairy old white guy, heroin/cocaine user who happened to have the ability to make people feel REAL GOOD with his skill and passion for music.

This is the human condition. We are all to willing to suspend our judgement to the whim of another. Those who are truely ethically evolved will bend over backwards to avoid being lionized by the masses. Those with less ethicality will rush to embrace godhood. I guess they’re just too damn lazy to work for a living. It’s SOOOO much easier to have people throw money at you, for making them feel hopeful,,,

Ah well, at least we have Rebecca and Phil, trying to encourage useful thinking. I still have hope the species will continue to grow. It HAS accomplished marvels in the past,,,

GAry 7

*shrug*

Of course, you can always go with Lao Tzu and say that “Hope is the same illusion as Fear”