Hope

I found this really old tin today against a fence post. It was obviously weathering outside for at least a few years. There is something inside of it. It sounds like a lot of something. It rattles, and weighs quite a bit. ...Getting to the point...should I open it or not open it?

Most likely it is just a bunch of screws, nails or some rusty junk. But what if it is full of diamonds, or invaluable information or treasure from a sunken ship...I know very unlikely since it was found in the Midwest. But I can hope.
And hope is good thing, anyone who has seen Shawshank Redemption knows that. However, that is not the question here. The question is should I hold on to this hope (keep it closed) or give up my hope (open it). Realistically, there is over a 99% chance it's junk, so if I believe this, then why would I open it? I would open it for that .000000000000000001% chance the contents are valuable.

Which brings me to the underlying question of morality. Is hope a greater good than discovery. Undeniably, they are both great things. Hope might be the greatest motivator in the entire world, and generally leads us to discovery. But without discovery, perhaps our hopes are misplaced or even completely wrong, and misplaced hopes can lead to anguish.

So let me know what I should do...Leave a Comment.