I Doubt It, But I Certainly Hope So.

Why do we do things when we know it won't work out?  Hope, that is why.  As a healer of physical wounds (that is basically what dentists do), I stare down the gaping maw of doubt everyday.  And hope rarely rescues me.  As in "Doctor, do you think this will work?"
"I hope so"..... ( If I have to say that, I seriously doubt it will work).

That is why, though it sounds cynical, I always tell patients hope has nothing to do with it.  You can hope all day long that you don't need a root canal but for some reason prayer seems to periodically cure cancer but never a toothache.  There is a saying that most dentists have hammered into their brains early on in their careers: "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting a different result".  This lesson applies to many aspects of life but my point is you can hope all you want for a positive outcome but only action will make it so.

President Obama wrote a book called "The Audacity of Hope" which I have not read.  I imagine it is about the importance of hope during times of stress and adversity.  Maybe I should read it before I critique it but since I trend more toward the physical than the spiritual, never mind.  Mindful breathing seems more practical than hoping anyway. That is a physiological function directly connected to a psychological function (the brain needs oxygen).  So when I am done breathing mindfully I still have doubt but I don't care since my brain is high on oxygen.  Maybe Deepak Chopra should name his next book "The Audacity of Mindful Breathing".

I would read a book called "The Audacity of Doubt".  It actually takes more guts, in my opinion, to not act because of your doubts than to act because of your hopes.  Heroism is only bestowed upon those who act.  The saying "no guts, no glory" is proof of this.  It takes more internal valor, however, to know when not to act but you will never be lauded for your discretion.   But it is doubt, not hope, that will more consistently assure a positive result.  A healthy dose of doubt makes us think before we act.  If someone says to you "it will probably be okay", it most definitely will not be okay.  If more people had doubted the advice of their subprime mortgage lenders rather than hoping they could cover the monthly bill we wouldn't be staring China in the ass right now.