Unassigned Essay Question

So I have been casually reading this YA novel for the past couple of weeks and I completely loved it! John Green's "Looking for Alaska" is a book that I really needed to read, not only because I recently bought the book, but the underlying message of the book was just what I needed at this point in my life. This message was noted throughout the the book, but best asked in an essay that the students must write.

The question that really caused so much thought was: "And so that is the question I leave you with in this final: What is your cause for hope (Green, 216)?" This question was spurred by final words of  Simón Bolívar  (who was a Venezuelan military and political leader), which were "How will I ever get out of this labyrinth!"

Both the question and quote I find are very deep, especially being in a place in my life where it feels like I am wandering through this labyrinth called life. I'm still working in the place where I worked when I was in college and still living at home. In all sense, I am not where I would want to be in this point in my life or a better way to phrase it, I am not where I thought I would be at this point.

This talk of hope, which is a topic that I find myself often writing about and thinking about, seems almost like a faint site right now. I know who/what I have hope in, but it is some of the more practical sense that I feel like I do not have a large cause for hope.

For example, I believe in God and I gave my life to Christ when I was in junior high and strongly believe in Him. I can site all these scriptures speaking of hope and how we must go through tough times, since that is what helps us keep hope. I can also quote one of my favorite passages, which is Lamentations 3:19-23, which speaks so much of hope. I get and understand hope.

Another example: I write stories. I do not share them often, but I have multiple notebooks with different stories, whether they are finished or not is irrelevant, and the biggest theme that I find myself writing about over and over again is hope. The whole story of being taken to the lowest you can go and fighting your way back up or trying to fight against someone/something that is suppressing you is such a wonderful story. It's the story of the underdog and seeing them come out victoriously. That's pretty much half of the movies that are made/ books that are written. We all love those stories and can relate to them.

I have seen hope in many different things, but what is my cause for hope?

The best way for me to answer this is by asking another question. Have you ever had so much hope that you have hoped so much that hoping doesn't seem like it has a point anymore? Does that question even make sense? Or does it just make sense to me? It doesn't really matter does it.

I have been in a state where people have had hope in me to be able to do something and I have been losing hope in myself. This is one of the worst states to be in because:

1. The feeling of hopelessness just plain sucks
2. You feel like you are letting people down since you are not feeling as hopeful
1. Which leads to the feeling of disappointment, which also sucks
3. You pretty much want to roll up in a ball and just hide from the world
4. You become bitter (which also sucks)
5. And life pretty much seems like it sucks all the time

 I understand that this is not the most hopeful answer to this question, but I feel like it is very relevant because we all go through points in our life where hope doesn't seem to make sense or seem practical. Don't get me wrong, hope is one of the best things to have, but don't we all lose hope?

Now looking at it from the main quote perspective, isn't it a bit hopeless to just think of a labyrinth? I mean, a labyrinth is something that is utterly challenging and it is not just physically exhausting to wonder around one, but it is also mentally exhausting. Think about it, life is just overall exhausting and sometimes it just seems easier to give up a bit and be complacent. It may seem easier to just sit in the middle of the labyrinth, because that is not challenging you if you just sit and do nothing. How is that a way of living?

So maybe this feeling of hopelessness leads to the feeling of complacency, which can lead to a realization. This realization is that life sucks and you need to get over it!

If I know and understand what hope is in the many forms it may show up in, then this is a choice to feel hopeless and pitying myself, which is a horrible excuse if you ask me.

"And so that is the question I leave you with in this final: What is your cause for hope (Green, 216)?"

My cause for hope, which may seem futile at times, is always there because I have this hate for being complacent. This feeling urges me to act and do. When you act, this leads to further thinking, which then leads to using your imagination, which then leads to hope.

I do not know how I will get out of this labyrinth or if we are ever supposed to get out of this labyrinth, but I do know that if you hold on to that hope and never let it go, that will be light enough to be able to help lead you through.