Hope is a Double-Edged Sword

Inspired by Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman

Hell could not exist if those in Hell were incapable of hope. Without hope there is no torture; one would become resigned to one’s fate. Hope is what keeps Sisyphus pushing up the boulder and Tantalus reaching for the food and water.

Hope is what enables Hell to exist. Hope is both the enabler and the defeater of Hell.

How is hope the defeater of Hell? It is what keeps people from truly ever being a part of Hell. Of course they endure the torments of Hell, but their hope keeps them from being mired down, keeps them pushing and trying to their last breaths. This saves them from the torments of Hell, but it is also what binds them to Hell. We would end ourselves if not for hope, but hope is also what keeps us enduring the torments. Ironic, that.

Hope keeps us from feeling the true brunt of all the pain, because we are inspired to keep going and striving, but hope also keeps us bound to this place, makes us feel we have to keep enduring. It’s a double-edged sword.

Without hope, one can do anything. This is both freeing and damning at the same time. But it is also impossible to live without hope, as there is no movement, no goal, nothing to live for. One is just waiting to die.

With hope, one can endure anything. This is both freeing and damning at the same time. The problem with hope is the obligation to keep fighting for what one hopes, even if it seems or is impossible.

We are both free and damned regardless.