Fighting Hopelessness

I’ve been selected as a short term team member for mission work in Serbia. We recently sat down with our program partner to talk about what things were like on the ground in the major city we’ll be working out of (though not exclusively), Belgrade. She said that the overwhelming perspective of those living in Belgrade, especially among the youth of the city, is an attitude of hopelessness. The idea that a generation with their whole lives before them already sees it as a fruitless and unfulfilling climb up a steep hill is enough to break the heart of any person. 

When we’re talking about hopelessness, what I mean is a profound sense of despair and futility. The belief that tomorrow will not only be the same as today but that, even if only by degrees, it only it gets worse from here. This kind of nihilistic and self-sabotaging perspective poses significant dangers to both mental and physical well-being. When individuals experience hopelessness, they often feel trapped in a cycle of darkness and victimhood, believing that their circumstances will never improve. This attitude can have severe consequences, affecting various aspects of life.

As someone with training as a counselor, my first concern will always be mental health. The persistent feeling of despair can lead to or exacerbate mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety. Individuals may withdraw from social interactions, lose interest in activities they once enjoyed, and struggle with a pervasive sense of emptiness, apathy, and fear. Often this results in the attitude of not wanting to be a burden on others who, it is believed, might not share this same dark outlook and therefore social, romantic, and familial relationships suffer as a direct consequence. This isolation and lack of engagement can further deepen the sense of hopelessness, creating a vicious cycle that is difficult to break.

Physically, the impact of hopelessness can be equally detrimental. Chronic stress and emotional pain associated with hopelessness can manifest as physical ailments, including headaches, fatigue, and cardiovascular problems. The stress response can weaken the immune system, making individuals more susceptible to illnesses and infections.

Moreover, hopelessness can impair cognitive function and decision-making. When people feel hopeless, they may struggle to focus, concentrate, or think clearly, making it difficult to set and achieve goals. This cognitive decline can lead to poor life choices, further reinforcing the feelings of helplessness and despair.

The social implications of hopelessness are also significant. It can strain relationships, as individuals may become withdrawn or irritable, alienating themselves from supportive networks. This social withdrawal can exacerbate feelings of loneliness and isolation, creating a barrier to seeking help or support.

We tend to allow for experiences to dictate the outlook and world view of individuals. The older we get, the more water has passed under our bridge, and the more miles we’ve put under us, the more we’ve seen and done (or had done to us). Scars, visible and invisible, are profound indicators pointing to significant events which have shaped behaviors or thought patterns and the mentality and world view that comes from them. In the young, who have much less in the way of personal real-world experience, engagement, and consequence, outlook and perspective are developed and shaped by those around them until an ownership and autonomy can naturally develop. As I’ve written, the young already harbor the same sense of hopelessness that generations before them do. We are truly in a dark place indeed if the children of today are not able to see the magic and possibility of tomorrow. Something needs to be done. 

This raises the question: how do we combat hopelessness? How do we, in the wake of the horrors of the 20th century, train the firsthand survivors (and subsequent descendants) of these horrors, some of whom still recall the privation, the violence, and the hypocrisy of the ideologies that rose in the wake of war, revolution, and global catastrophe? How, in the face of history and its terror, pain, and suffering, do we hope, and hope in such an intensity that it can be given away?

I once had the good fortune to be in a Q+A session with best-selling author and clinical psychologist Dr. Jordan B. Peterson. I had been dwelling on this idea of hopelessness, specifically on the idea of burnout as a symptom of hopelessness, and what it takes to combat it within ourselves. I began with this approach in mind because no one can instill hope in another person, hope is not something that can be invested, instilled, engrained, or infused absent the willingness to allow that hope to catch fire within the soul of the recipient. Hope can be refused and declined. As the old aphorism goes “two men looked out through prison bars, one saw the mud, the other, the stars”. Hope must come from within, and it comes to life when we allow the voice of God in the heart of man to remind us of the reality that we mortgage and foreclose when all we see is the pain, trails, tribulations, and setbacks that are natural to a fallen and broken world. That is not to discount those pains and trials, it is not to be Pollyanna about their severity or consequence. It is, however, to recognize that God Most High, the author of reality itself and everything under it, is supreme to the best of the best, and the worst of the worst. To say otherwise, that this thing is better than the joy found in an eternally loving God, or that the other thing is so terrible that the One who laid the foundations of the earth is powerless to do anything about it, is unrealistic, unbiblical, and illogical. 

If you are in a position where the latter sounds a little too familiar, please stay with me until the end. 

Peterson is known for his work and influence due in no small part to his recognition of the horrors and tragedies that were born out of the 20th century. His recognition of the holocaust, the Holodomor, the death camps, gulags, and Communist revolutions of the Eurasian supercontinent, which left hundreds of millions dead in their wake, are central to the world view espoused by Peterson and is something he goes to great lengths in his books, lectures, and podcasts to convey. To Peterson, in order to understand the brightness of the light, one must also acknowledge the darkness of the shadows. Man can be and has been monstrous to his fellow man in living memory. It’s the evidentiary byproduct of a fallen world that still cries out to God for mercy and relief. 

When I put forward a question to Dr. Petersen, it was prefaced with this reality. I do not recall the exact words used by me in asking the question; it was something akin to “Given the horrors of the 20th century, the efforts to silence dissenting voices, the social and political upheavals that we are seeing around the world, how does one still have hope in the face of that overwhelming darkness?”

I wish I could say that I remembered, word for word, his whole answer. I am told it was very good, and that it went on for several minutes with Petersen giving his best to a question that could, perhaps, have no way to be answered to everyone’s satisfaction. 

For my part, I only remember his first sentence. After that my mind and soul started down a rabbit hole; attempting to see just how far down and how poignant this lesson could be. I do this often with Peterson; on video it's easier to manage thanks to the pause button. In person there is no such luxury. So while I do not remember his full answer, I do remember the first sentence verbatim. “Well, it takes courage, doesn’t it?”

Hope, in the face of darkness, is an act of courage. Courage is a curious trait. To be courageous is not to be without fear. It’s not to be unaware of danger. To the contrary, it is being aware of the situation (not from a God level total understanding, but of appreciating the circumstances and options available at the time) and choosing the action to fight for the best of those understood circumstances. Often there is personal sacrifice. Often there will be consequences. But as Teddy Roosevelt said there is much credit that is due to “the man in the arena whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat. ” 

To combat the dangers of hopelessness, we turn to the best teacher available on the subject. He was the one who wrote humanity into existence, who came among them to live as one of them, to do so perfectly, and to do the death that was necessary to restore a wayward and stiff necked people to their place as children of God Most High. I mean, of course, Jesus of Nazareth. 

The work of Jesus, performed among the people of Israel, Judea, and Samaria, all pointed at the right relationship we are to have with destiny, that is, the eternal God who will wait for us at the end of our lives. It is our right understanding of that final destiny which will be the fruit of whether we have hope or not. To have hope is, like in the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30), to take what we are given, whether much or little, and use it as leverage to do work for the kingdom to the honor and glory of God Most High. 

Conversely, to be hopeless (for the Christian) is to be the one who was given a singular talent, and who, rather than use it for the kingdom and glory of God, hid it away. When we, as Christians, regard hopelessness in our selves or in others as normal or standard, we are in effect saying the same thing as that one who was given a singular talent, “24 saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ To restate would be to say “I didn’t actually know you (evidenced by the statement “I knew you to be a hard man”), and I lied about you to myself and others (evidenced by “reaping where you did not sow(which God cannot do), and gathering where you scattered no seed (impossible for the author of reality and all that is in it) to make up an excuse for doing nothing with the talent you gave me.” 

26 But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. 29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

It is fear of the unknown that drives us to hopelessness; fear overcoming courage. This begs the question what evidence is given us by Jesus of Nazareth so that we might be courageous and hope?

Jesus promised rest (Matthew 11:28–30), particularly appealing and necessary for those trapped in the frantic mad rush to just get by in the world. Jesus promised abundant life to those who follow Him (John 10:10) which, going beyond wealth and possessions, extended to the very fabric of our souls and the seat of our bliss. Jesus promised eternal life to those who trust Him (John 4:14). The Good Shepherd also promised to hold us securely: “No one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:28). Jesus promised His disciples power from on high (Acts 1:8). In this power, they “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6, ESV). Jesus promised that He will return for us (John 14:2–3). 

2 Tim. 1:7 reminds us that “God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of strength and of love and of temperance.” In the daily life of most believers, even the most devout can forget where they come from, who they come from, and ultimately where we are going. It is crucial, therefore, to foster that God-breathed spirit of resiliency in ourselves and to kindle that fire in others so that they will help us rise when we fall. Recognizing and addressing the root causes of hopelessness, whether through prayer, care, or support, can help individuals regain a sense of purpose, clarity, and control. By building a supportive network and taking proactive steps towards improvement, individuals can break free from the cycle of hopelessness and work towards a more hopeful and fulfilling future.

God be praised.