Exploring Whether We Might Distinguish Between Authentic And False Hopes

1. Exploring Whether We Might Distinguish Between Authentic And False Hopes Michael J. Kendrick PhD Kendrick Consulting INTL www.kendrickconsulting.org Kendrickconsult@attglobal.net Use Only With Permission Of The Author

2. When you say a situation or a person is hopeless, you are slamming the door in the face of God Charles L. Allan Use Only With Permission Of The Author

3. Hope is the dream of a soul awake. French Proverb Use Only With Permission Of The Author

4. Hope never abandons you; you abandon it George Weinberg Use Only With Permission Of The Author

5. Hope is not a dream but a way of making dreams become reality Hope is faith holding out its hand in the dark. George Iles Use Only With Permission Of The Author

6. In reality, hope is the worst of all evils, because it prolongs man's torments.  Friedrich Nietzsche, Human, All Too Human, 1878 Use Only With Permission Of The Author

7. Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come.  Anne Lamott Use Only With Permission Of The Author

8. Hope is putting faith to work when doubting would be easier.  Author Unknown Use Only With Permission Of The Author

9. Hope is independent of the apparatus of logic.  Norman Cousins Use Only With Permission Of The Author

10. Hope deceives more men than cunning does.  Vauvenargues, Reflections and Maxims, 1746 Use Only With Permission Of The Author

11. In What Should We Place Our Hopes? • In The End We Will Have To Trust In Something. • It Is Possible To Be Mistaken In Who Or What We Trust. • It Is Also Possible To Gauge The Extent To Which We Might Safely Trust i.e. Trust Need Not Be Absolute, As It Can Be A Matter Of Degree Or “To A Point” • Similarly, We Can (And Must) At Times Take Calculated Risks As To Where We Might Place Our Trust Use Only With Permission Of The Author

12. In What Should We Place Our Hopes? • Hope Is Not The Same As Optimism As One Can Be Very Hopeful But Not Particularly Optimistic. • Optimism Is Essentially A Probabilistic Prediction Based On Events In The World, Whereas Hope Is Normally Based On A Faith That May Not Be Revealed As Yet By Events In The World • e.g. One May Have Faith That Great Deal More People With Disabilities Could Be Working At Real Jobs In The Community But Recognize That It Is Unlikely To Occur In A Given Community Use Only With Permission Of The Author

13. In What Should We Place Our Hopes? • It Is Also Possible That One Can Hold Many Hopes But Be Unable To Explain To Oneself Or Others Just Why This Is So. • We May Have Hopes, But Be Quite Unclear From What Source They Ultimately Spring From. • Our Hopes May Actually Be Very Well Placed, But We May Still Remain Unsure Of How To Account For Them Because Of The Mystery Of Their Origins Use Only With Permission Of The Author

14. In What Should We Place Our Hopes? • Whether It Occurs to Us Or Not, We Are Constantly Being Approached And Invited By Ourselves And Others To Place Our Trust and Hope In All Manner Of Things. • We Are Tempted To Look To Many Of These As Being Important Answers To Our Needs, Wants And Longings. • We Are Asked To Place Our Hope As A Society In Such Things As Wealth, Youthfulness, Ease And Comfort, Individualism Etc. And We Will Have To Decide Whether These Will Live Up To Their Claims Use Only With Permission Of The Author

15. In What Should We Place Our Hopes? • People With Disabilities And Their Lives Are As Subject To The Question Of Hopes And False Hopes As Is Anyone Else • Choosing Wisely What Might Be Worth Placing Trust In Can Mean The Difference Between Better And Worse Life Consequences • Fortunately, It Is Possible To Critically Evaluate The Many Claims That May Be Made And Therefore Make Better Decisions And Judgments • One Can Also Change One’s Mind About What Merits Hope And Trust Use Only With Permission Of The Author

16. Key Reflective Questions To Test Claims Of Trustworthiness • Are The Claims Phrased Such That It Acknowledges The Potential For Shortcomings? • Does It Appear To Ask To Be Trusted Uncritically? • Is Any Evidence Offered To Support The Claim? • Is There Evidence To The Contrary? • Is The Evidence Compelling Beyond A Reasonable Doubt? • If There Are Doubts Are They Serious Enough To Be Cautious About The Claims? • If One Trusts The Claims To A Degree What Degree Is This? Use Only With Permission Of The Author

17. Some Of What We Are Asked To Trust • Treatments, Therapies, Cures, Techniques etc. • Formal Services, Agencies, Organizations, Systems • Governments, Policies, Programs, Plans • Money, Funding • Laws, Regulations, Legal Rights • Innovations, Experiments, Untested New Initiatives • “Models”, Best Practice • Philosophies, Ideologies, Theories, Values • Communities, Networks, Neighborhoods, Community Membership • Testing, Evaluation, Diagnosis Use Only With Permission Of The Author

18. Some Of What We Are Asked To Trust • Relationships, Friends, Acquaintances • Information, Knowledge, Research, Science • Learning, Creativity, Enlightenment, Reason • Commitments, Perseverance, Determination, Resolve, Responsibility • God, Benign Forces, Spiritual Support • Morality, Decency, Human Goodness • Leadership, Pro Active Temperament, Initiative • Advocacy, Activism, Politics, Community Organizing • Faith, Religion, Spirituality • Communication, Dialogue, Discussion, Participation Use Only With Permission Of The Author