Photo by Pen Tayler

Since Laurel mentioned that the theme for the spring newsletter was hope, I’ve been thinking a lot about what hope means and how it functions in our lives.  I’ve also had some very interesting discussions with friends regarding hope.  Recently I found a card from World Vision with the following definition of hope: it’s a sense of anticipation, it lifts you up and carries you forward.

A number of years ago I was working for a Tasmanian magazine as a writer and photographer when I met an Iranian man who had fled his country after being tortured and imprisoned a number of times.  This was in part because he belonged to a minority group, the Ahwazis, who live in the south of Iran in the marsh area.  He came to Australia by boat from Indonesia, across to Christmas Island.  Once there he was placed in a detention centre, one of a number of Australia detention centres in which he was held over almost two years – something he found very difficult after having been incarcerated in his own country.

He told me that while he was on the boat, he was thinking about three things – how would Australia welcome him, how he would live here, and when would he be able to see his family again.  His long journey from Iran to Australia was a journey of hope for a better future.  For the many millions of refugees who are forced to leave their country and who almost always leave with no guarantee of anything, it must surely be hope that sustains their difficult journeys.

For those of us who have never been a refugee, hope is still a strong part of who we all are, although we may not realise it until we need it due to some adversity, or until someone outside ourselves shows us how important it is.  Michael White was a South Australian social worker and family therapist who created a process called Narrative Therapy.  In his work, he encouraged clients to explore their values and skills which allowed them to ‘effectively confront current and future problems’.  He was helping clients find hope in the midst of adversity in their lives.

I was interested to discover why we need hope in our lives.  ‘Hope works for the brain and in the brain.  If you experience hope in the face of adversity, your brain performs better and you are more likely to make positive decisions regarding your health…Experiencing hope dampens the anxiety circuits in the brain.’ (Brain Lawlor, Global Brain Health Institute, What is hope and why do we need it on www.gbhi.org/news-publications)

What makes us more or less hopeful?  Research into the Nazi concentration camps found the basic unit of survival was two.  Those people were more likely to hold onto hope for a better life.  So community is important even if it is only a community of two.  Making meaning in our lives also brings hope.  How do we do this?  Working to create a better future, not just for ourselves but for those around us who are less well off than we are can certainly help bring meaning to our lives.  And finally I think the fundamental answer to it all is the importance and place of our own spirituality that continues to give us hope for the future and, I like to think, guides us to make better decisions in our lives.

Pen Tayler – Spring 2025