Not everyone believes that Hope is a virtue. Friedrich Nietzsche, who famously declared that God is dead, also thought that, “Hope, in reality, is the worst of all evils because it prolongs the torments of man.”
That may sound harsh, but he kind of has a point—if there is no eternity, then hoping for it would only make man more miserable, not less. Imagine hoping for a trip to Hawaii that your parents promised you…and now imagine you never get to go.
Believe it or not, the apostle Paul actually agrees with Nietzsche in part, writing to the church in Corinth: “If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.”
The difference between Nietzsche and Paul all hinges on that word “if.” It all depends on the truth.
The virtue of Hope requires us to make sure that we’ve placed our hope in what is true. False hope is the worst of all evils.
Have a wonderful day.
