The Power of Hope

Commended Entry: "The Power of Hope" by Corrine Yang from Canada

This article was submitted in the Kids World Travel Guide Essay Competition 2021 in the Senior Category 12 - 15 years.

The Power of Hope

Our lives are constantly riddled with negativity. Whether it is something small, like breaking your favorite coffee mug, arguing with your friend, or losing that special pencil you loved. Or it could be something that feels larger than life: a medical emergency, losing a loved one, or perhaps the pandemic we’ve had the displeasure of dealing with this past year.

Even through the hardships, there is always that little voice in the back of our heads who push us to keep persevering. What is it? It’s hope.

Hope is the driving force for us to resist despair and anguish for a better future, shining a light in the pitch-black darkness. No matter the person, we all have experienced hope in some form, big or small. You can do incredible things with enough hope: imposing mountains suddenly look like manageable hills; a river pounding against a dam suddenly has the strength of a stream.

Hope enables us to live in the moment, worrying not about what happens in the future, but focusing on what they can do to make the perfect tomorrow a reality. As Helen Keller once said, "Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence."

Helen Keller is a famous deafblind American author, disability rights activist, and lecturer. At the age of 19 months, her world fell into silence and darkness. She lost her ability to hear and speak from a spell of illness. Anne Sullivan, her teacher and lifelong companion, taught her language by spelling out words letter-by-letter in the middle of her palm. Despite learning the words, she could not comprehend what they meant. It was not until Anne Sullivan took her to a water pump that she understood. Anne let Helen feel the cold running water while spelling “water” on her palm. Her face lit up, and for the first time in her life, she learned the meaning behind W-A-T-E-R.

In face of the difficulties she faced, she defied odds and graduated from Radcliffe College, from which she became a prolific author, mothering many books and hundreds of essays and speeches. Traveling across the world to advocate for those with vision loss and campaigning for women’s suffrage, labor rights, and world peace were pursuits she passionately dedicated much of her life to. For her contributions, then-President Lyndon B. Johnson awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Helen Keller’s story shows us how we are not limited to our circumstances, the epitome of never losing hope and overcoming challenges. She teaches us that hope is not just wishful thinking. Instead, hope acted as her guide in a bleak and silent world. It is motivation, a belief, a mindset that keeps you going.

In spite of the frightening but thrilling journey we call life, the hundreds of adversities and failures, the trials we face daily, hope is the strength telling you to get up again and that "it’s not over yet."

Thank you for your wonderful essay "The Power of Hope", Corrine. Life is a journey, full of challenges and dark days but also full of surprises and happy days. Hope is our driving power to keep going on and we are sure your story of Helen Keller will remind all of us about the power of hope.

Congratulations! Well done!

Corrine Yang is a student at Merivale High School in Ottawa/ Canada.