| HOPE The pressures, strains, disappointments and uncertainties that each of us face can add up to quite a heavy burden. What often gets us through is nothing more than hope, i.e., the anticipation that things will get better; that they will work out; that we will get beyond whatever it is that we are struggling with. To have hope is to see a future. To lose hope is to experience resignation and despair. The loss of hope can be a terrible thing. One’s ability to see a positive outcome is snuffed out. Morale sinks to nothing. Life becomes empty and each new difficulty is often met with the question, "Why try?" There is often anger and an accompanying loss in faith in oneself, others, and in God. This state is often the consequence of setbacks or misfortunes that are often victimizing. Even after a person has gotten back on his or her feet, the experience can leave doubt and misgiving about one’s security and well-being. Regaining lost hope is not achieved by wishing it to happen. One has to regain faith and that is only achieved as a person has experiences that not only restore what has been lost but affirm that, after serious difficulty, one not only can survive but can gain and can grow. People have to take the risk of putting themselves in situations where they can have these experiences. The recovery of lost hope is not only wonderful to experience but provides an affirmation of the person and life, increasing the ability to cope with future difficulties. Sometimes people have to momentarily lose hope to have real faith and conviction. The Films OCTOBER SKY In 1957 a little Russian satellite called Sputnik was launched into orbit. For most Americans it represented a threat. The Russians, not the Americans, put something into outer space first. For some, though, the beeping ball, that could be seen crossing the night sky, was a beacon. It offered a new hope, a hope that they would not have to end up like their fathers living dreary lives of back breaking labor. They could design and build rockets that would go into space. Thus begins what is based on a true story of how four high school boys in a West Virginian coal mining town tried to make a homemade rocket that would fly. For Homer and the others it was more than about making a rocket that would shoot up into the sky. There was the hope that they could win a science fair contest, thereby get college scholarships and get out of town. At that time, for the boys in this community, the only way to go to college was to get a sports scholarship. While the four got encouragement and help from some, they also had to face discouragement, ridicule, and obstacles. "Our job is to give these kids an education, not false hopes," the principal of the school said to the science teacher. In addition, Homer was continually in conflict with his father, a strong willed, stubborn man who saw the whole thing about rockets to be useless and a wasteful distraction. He wanted his son to follow in the "honorable trade" of being a coal miner. Homer had seen what the mine did to men and had worked in the mines himself. The thought of doing this all his life was despairing. October Sky is at times a little melodramatic but affirms how hoping and stubbornly persisting, can make something important come true despite setbacks and frustrations. Universal Rated PG by M.P.A.A. Many Classic films deal with the issue of hope. These include: African Queen It’s A Wonderful Life Rocky The Wizard Of Oz A number of independent movies also deal with hope. Cosi Smoke Signals Please note: More movies are being added to this page. Check back soon.
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