Despair / Wanhoop



“Man dies of cold, not of darkness.”
Miguel de Unamuno

Despair – that instance when your spirit is subdued and sad, even if you don’t know why it is so; when the past seems a storm-swept desolation, life a vanity and a burden, and the future but a way to death. Thát is despair. So easily do we fall into despair, but my question today is, what does it help? It surely only robs you of the creativity to generate alternatives to whatever brought you into that state of despair. George Eliot said that what we refer to as our despair is often only the painful eagerness of unfed hope. So, what he says is that we should feed our hope, for hope is surely the last thing to die. Is despair a typical response of those who do not see any other way out, and, as a result, are then incapable of struggle? Maybe so, but what I do know is that we all struggle. The crux is to persevere and to work through that struggle, not to sit down halfway and fall into despair and let your hope starve. Despair surely seeks its own environment, and to those who fall into despair, even reason can mostly not provide any hope. The reason is that their despair is flamed by passion and emotions. I understand that despair and depression can take on extremely hopeless scenarios, but I want to plea to you today, lift yourself up, dust yourself off and do not allow despair to take a hold of your life. Resist negative patterns of conduct, and more so, any negative thinking. Free your mind and fight it with all of your might. It is true that you cannot die of darkness, only of the cold, and always remember, you are stronger than your circumstances, and there is an antidote which you may reach for when you feel the onslaught of despair: HOPE.


T. S. Eliot asked where one should go from a world of insanity?
He was directing that to none other than you and me!
Somewhere on the other side of despair, was his suggestion…
There is to be found a much more joyful dominion!

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“Die mens kan sterf van koue, nie van die donkerte nie.”
Miguel de Unamuno

Wanhoop – daardie moment wanneer jou geestestoestand gedemp, onderdruk en jy hartseer is, selfs al weet jy nie waarom dit in daardie toestand is nie. Dit is ‘n tyd waarin die verlede vir jou lyk soos ‘n verwoesting, soos iets wat deur ‘n storm getref is. Die lewe lyk vir jou vrugteloos en nutteloos en dit lyk na een groot las, en die toekoms is maar net een reguit pad wat jou neem na die dood. Dit, liewe vriende, is wanhoop. Die hartseer punt is dat mense so maklik in die kloue van wanhoop verval. My vraag vandag is, wat help dit om in wanhoop te verval? Seer sekerlik roof wanhoop mens net van die kreatiwiteit om alternatiewe te genereer en uit te klim uit dit wat jou eerstens in die staat van wanhoop geplaas het. George Eliot is van mening dat dit waarna ons verwys as wanhoop, niks anders is nie as hoop wat nie gevoed word nie. Hy voel dat solank ons hoop voed, dit nie sal honger ly en maak dat ons in wanhoop verval nie. Hoop is inderdaad die laaste een om dood te gaan. Kyk, ons almal struwel soms (en andere meer as soms) in ons lewens. Die kruks is om tydens oomblikke van interne struweling, vas te staan en deur te druk, en nie te gaan sit en jouself oor te gee aan wanhoop en in die proses hoop te laat sterf van hongersnood nie. Wanhoop soek sy/haar eie vasskop plekkie, en diegene wie in wanhoop verval, kan meestal nie deur middel van rede en logika, daaruit weggeruk word nie. Die rede hiervoor is dat emosies gewoonlik die dryfveer van wanhoop is. Ek verstaan dat wanhoop en depressie verskriklikke scenarios van hopeloosheid kan aanneem, maar ek pleit vandag by jou, lig jouself op, stof jouself as en moet nie toelaat dat wanhoop ‘n houvas op jou kry nie. Weerstaan negatiewe denke en optredes. Bevry jou denke hiervan en veg met alle mag daarteen. Dit is so waar, jy kan nie sterf van die duisternis nie, maar wel van die koue kloue van wanhoop. Onthou, jy is sterker as jou omstandighede, en daar is altyd ‘n teenmiddel tot die aanslae van wanhoop, en dit is HOOP.


Wanhoop is iets wat soos ‘n besetene oor ons kan loop.
Dit kan jou van alle hoop stroop…
en jou aftrek tot in die duisternis!
Maar onthou, en dit is gewis…
daar is altyd hoop wat die duisternis kan uitblus.

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