Exploring Whether We Might
Distinguish Between Authentic
And False Hopes
MICHAEL J. KENDRICK PHD
KENDRICK CONSULTING INTL
WWW.KENDRICKCONSULTING.ORG
KENDRICKCONSULT@ATTGLOBAL.NET
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When you say a
situation or a
person is hopeless,
you are slamming
the door in the face
of God
Charles L. Allan
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Hope is the dream of a soul
awake.
French Proverb
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Hope never abandons you; you
abandon it
George Weinberg
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Hope is not a dream
but a way of making
dreams become
reality
Hope is faith holding
out its hand in the
dark.
George Iles
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In reality, hope is the
worst of all evils,
because it prolongs
man's torments.
Friedrich Nietzsche,
Human, All Too
Human, 1878
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Hope begins in the
dark, the stubborn
hope that if you just
show up and try to do
the right thing, the
dawn will come.
Anne Lamott
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Hope is putting
faith to work
when doubting
would be easier.
Author Unknown
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Hope is
independent of the
apparatus of logic.
Norman Cousins
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Hope deceives
more men than
cunning does.
Vauvenargues,
Reflections and
Maxims, 1746
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In What Should We Place Our Hopes?
 In The End We Will Have To Trust In Something.
 It Is Possible To Be Mistaken In Who Or What We
Trust.
 It Is Also Possible To Gauge The Extent To Which
We Might Safely Trust i.e. Trust Need Not Be
Absolute, As It Can Be A Matter Of Degree Or “To A
Point”
 Similarly, We Can (And Must) At Times Take
Calculated Risks As To Where We Might Place Our
Trust
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In What Should We Place Our Hopes?
 Hope Is Not The Same As Optimism As One Can Be
Very Hopeful But Not Particularly Optimistic.
 Optimism Is Essentially A Probabilistic Prediction
Based On Events In The World, Whereas Hope Is
Normally Based On A Faith That May Not Be
Revealed As Yet By Events In The World
 e.g. One May Have Faith That Great Deal More
People With Disabilities Could Be Working At Real
Jobs In The Community But Recognize That It Is
Unlikely To Occur In A Given Community
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In What Should We Place Our Hopes?
 It Is Also Possible That One Can Hold Many Hopes
But Be Unable To Explain To Oneself Or Others Just
Why This Is So.
 We May Have Hopes, But Be Quite Unclear From
What Source They Ultimately Spring From.
 Our Hopes May Actually Be Very Well Placed, But
We May Still Remain Unsure Of How To Account
For Them Because Of The Mystery Of Their Origins
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In What Should We Place Our Hopes?
 Whether It Occurs to Us Or Not, We Are
Constantly Being Approached And Invited By
Ourselves And Others To Place Our Trust and
Hope In All Manner Of Things.
 We Are Tempted To Look To Many Of These As
Being Important Answers To Our Needs, Wants
And Longings.
 We Are Asked To Place Our Hope As A Society In
Such Things As Wealth, Youthfulness, Ease And
Comfort, Individualism Etc. And We Will Have To
Decide Whether These Will Live Up To Their
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Claims
In What Should We Place Our Hopes?
 People With Disabilities And Their Lives Are As
Subject To The Question Of Hopes And False Hopes
As Is Anyone Else
 Choosing Wisely What Might Be Worth Placing Trust
In Can Mean The Difference Between Better And
Worse Life Consequences
 Fortunately, It Is Possible To Critically Evaluate
The Many Claims That May Be Made And Therefore
Make Better Decisions And Judgments
 One Can Also Change One’s Mind About What
Merits Hope And Trust
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Key Reflective Questions To Test Claims Of
Trustworthiness
 Are The Claims Phrased Such That It Acknowledges
The Potential For Shortcomings?
 Does It Appear To Ask To Be Trusted Uncritically?
 Is Any Evidence Offered To Support The Claim?
 Is There Evidence To The Contrary?
 Is The Evidence Compelling Beyond A Reasonable
Doubt?
 If There Are Doubts Are They Serious Enough To Be
Cautious About The Claims?
 If One Trusts The Claims To A Degree What Degree
Is This?
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Some Of What We Are Asked To Trust
 Treatments, Therapies, Cures, Techniques etc.
 Formal Services, Agencies, Organizations, Systems
 Governments, Policies, Programs, Plans
 Money, Funding
 Laws, Regulations, Legal Rights
 Innovations, Experiments, Untested New Initiatives
 “Models”, Best Practice
 Philosophies, Ideologies, Theories, Values
 Communities, Networks, Neighborhoods, Community
Membership
 Testing, Evaluation, Diagnosis
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Some Of What We Are Asked To Trust
 Relationships, Friends, Acquaintances
 Information, Knowledge, Research, Science
 Learning, Creativity, Enlightenment, Reason
 Commitments, Perseverance, Determination, Resolve,

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Responsibility
God, Benign Forces, Spiritual Support
Morality, Decency, Human Goodness
Leadership, Pro Active Temperament, Initiative
Advocacy, Activism, Politics, Community Organizing
Faith, Religion, Spirituality
Communication, Dialogue, Discussion, Participation
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