Believe With AC Grayling - 6 Reasons To Hope

Fun Philosophy for Men Who Move with A. C. Grayling

Hope

Crisis crisis crisis. Blimey. What have we got to look forward to?

If it ain’t Brexit, it’s Trump. If it ain’t Trump, it’s Covid. If it ain't Covid, it's Climate Change. If it’s in the papers it’s most likely mega-catastrophic and sometimes it feels like we wake daily into an episode of Charlie Brooker’s Screenwipe.

Give us reasons to believe, man. Hope.

Let’s not kid around, it’s a very weird point in time. Humanity has reached a precipice. A uniquely challenging conundrum in the great history of all things that may ever have been. Fascinating.

Will we jump? Will we be pushed? Will we fly? Will we hit the floor? Is it the end? Is it the beginning? Who knows? Who wants to know?

Consistent facts to truly inform these questions just get lost in the ether. Whose facts are they anyway?

We speculate. We move forward into the unknown. Vague. Confusing. Compelling. Magical. All the things. Everything. Now.

Luckily, if all else fails, we still have philosophy to fall back on. Arrgghh, philosophy.

6 Reasons To Feel Hopeful

At your favourite men’s yoga clothing brand, we’ve been reading up on author, philosopher and well-spoken white feather, A. C. Grayling. When you need some light, Grayling arrives with succinct and useful nuggets reminding us that there’s always something worth hoping for. He really does make the point for why we should all dare to dream. Go for it.

Here’s how…

Choose Your Route

Grayling writes, ‘In good times…hope is a prompt to yet better things; in bad times it is a comfort, because it sustains the idea of relief or rescue, of reward, or at least justice at last.’ So even when hopes don’t come to fruition, choosing to believe will make your life better regardless. Hope offers a more positive route through life. Try it.

Succeed From Compost

It’s just daydreams and unrealistic hopes, cynics say, so face the truth, dingbats. ‘They fail to recognise that out of this compost sometimes grow surprising blossoms of novelty and success,’ says Grayling. It’s true. We’ve got to get up and give it a go. You never know, it just might work. Surprise yourself.

Spring Eternal

Napoleon said, ‘A leader is a dealer in hope.’  Field marshals, sports coaches and sales managers must constantly pluck the next motivation to move forward out of thin air. But they CAN, because hope is FREE. Grayling agrees, ‘The fact that hope always applies to the future makes it a cheaply purchased, endlessly renewable commodity… as old hopes die, new ones can be raised in their place as swiftly and as easily as thought.’ Pluck it.

Effect The Present

Feel better now. Hope for something brilliant and set your course. Reach for the brightest stars your heart can imagine. Grayling articulates, ‘Although hope by its nature is a forward-looking emotion, its real effect lies in the present; it’s what motivates and encourages now.’ Whether you get there or not, with hope, the now blossoms with possibility. Ding.

Measure The Man

Some folk have fancy cars. Some folk have fancy moves. Some have hope. ‘You discover more about a person when you learn about his hopes than when you count his achievements,’ claims Grayling, ‘for the best of what we are lies in what we hope to be.’ So take a look around. Who is trying for better? His soul carries real treasure.

Get Virtuous 

Be high-minded. Hope. Most of what has driven humanity forward started as hope. ‘Hope is a virtue independent of its realisations; it is an intrinsic value, and end in itself, allied to courage and imagination, a positive attitude full of possibility and aspiration.’  Need he say more?

So park cynicism. Rise above the doom and gloom. Take a step forward and chase a dream. Go for it. It’s ok. You don’t need permission. Don’t give a damn if what you plot happens or not. The trick is in the dream. The beauty is in the intention and the new paths you’ll tread when you steer a course for the better.

What are you hoping for?

Make it so.

Wise Move

A philosophy blog series for yogis and men who move

Where did the world come from? Why did God make the universe? Where do people go when they die? What’s the best way to live?

Like deep conversations you have with your bezzies - looking up at the stars with a cold one - we’re nailing all the biggies here at So We Flow. Over 12 months we’re sharing 12 distinct philosophies for men. From Socrates to Chomsky and from Patanjali to Adyashanti, we delve into play, courage, non-duality, hope and more. Together, we’ll make total sense of this cosmic soup.

So stay present and stay tuned, brothers of the Flow.

Get Our Free Guide: The Top 4 Reasons People Fail to Achieve Their Movement Goals (And What to Do Instead)

For more check out

So We Flow Journal – Lift Your Spirit With Alan Watts

Euphoria Will Fade But Hope Springs Eternal – AC Grayling for The Independent

The Meaning Of Things: Applying Philosophy To Life – AC Grayling