What does “hope springs eternal” mean?

Posted by: David

Just yesterday, I was thinking about why things grow and why things die based on the idea of awareness as a force. Yes, I understand Biology 101: things grow because they take in the necessary chemistry for growth and things die due to various reasons. But I was looking further than this. I was looking for a universal reason. I was thinking of things such as trees and humans, but I was also thinking of things such as planets and galaxies. Don’t worry. I won’t presently go off in the direction of stellar bodies. That would certainly get us sidetracked.

So, what’s your general vision for your life? Can you remember back to that general vision about life that you had when you where a child? That’s certainly a difficult task for most of us, and in fact, it might not be possible based on our personal pattern of brain development and also simply due to our current state-of-mind. But I expect that many children have a general awareness of life and growth that drives them into adulthood. Of course, I’m generalizing. There are certainly children that die young who have had a deep sense of life and growth and there are elderly people that have a general sense of life and living that is held to the grave. These exceptions only emphasize what I’m trying to say.

Yes, in biological terms life might equal a beating heart and death might equal no pulse. However, when I talk about life, I’m speaking of a vigor and vitality, a sense of life and growth. In regards to death, I’m talking about a sense of futility and purposelessness as being the driving factor that points us toward a death more real than the ‘no pulse’ type of death. These are mindsets, perceptions and states of awareness common to us all.

Since I’m beginning to feel that a person’s central awareness is a fundamental force (an actual force) that drives a person’s actions and life, it seems to follow that this force is what drives a person toward life or toward death. This force drives us onward in our existence. Since I don’t believe that ‘no-pulse’ equals death, this force drives us beyond the grave.

This force is generally one’s present mindset, present awareness, and present perceptions of life. What is your present mindset?

This is why hope is so essential. Hope is the mindset of life. Life is eternal, otherwise it wouldn’t be called life, would it? “Life” cannot die. The opposite mindset is the mindset of death. Fortunately, death is able to die and when it does it becomes life. 

Many have been on their deathbeds and at the moment of death been in the mindset of life. And there is where they truly discovered what hope springs eternal meant. We can do the same without being on our deathbed. And there we find vitality, joy, truth and love.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…

1 Peter 1:3