The Perils Of Hope

Do you dare to dream? It is not an idle question. Most of our unhappiness, and all of our regrets stem from the fact that we dream foolishly. Initially, all dreams are acts of escape; we fantasize about a better situation and imagine ourselves there. After all, dreaming costs nothing. Then we begin to take it seriously. Finally, we commit ourselves to chasing the dream, believing it to be something we've always wanted; not realizing how much of ourselves we're sacrificing, until the dream crashes down. And it begins and ends with hope.

Hope.. It is the optimist's answer to the realist's logic. It is what keeps dying men alive, while bringing others to the brink of destruction.
It is what makes a gambler stake his life, even when that's all he has left.
It is what makes love blind. It is what allows us to put in all our energy into what our logic would dismiss as impractical. Hope let's us do all the things we want, while actually, the very reason we want to do those things is because of what we hope.

It is not the same as desire. Desire is knowledge of what we want, and often brings with it an idea on how to achieve it. Hope, on the other hand, is passive; it believes things will work out, somehow. Desire spawns action, hope spawns prayers.

At least for a little while, I'd like to live a life where my actions are based purely on decision making, and once made, I can be sure of the results. A short span of time without any waiting, without apprehension of what might be and what might not. A life of cause and effect, without the factor of chance.
I realize this is impossible, but this is my dream for the moment. And maybe it might work, who knows? I can only hope.