Abstract

Instead of just ‘being’, man is sort of ‘becoming’ during his existence. Of particular importance to the becoming, which embraces the whole of existence, is the being and activity of a personal subject. Man is naturally open and creative: becoming and self-fulfilling. Man who continually strives for his fullness in all his actions and dealings is supported by hope. Hope comes true in the sheer existence of a subject, and it relates to a personal subject who has hope. Being full of hope, man goes beyond the boundaries of his existence. He is looking for the meaning of man in all the dimensions of his human existence. Hope is a gift which you receive, but also a gift which you may be entrusted with. It is a reference to a certain experience, which is reflected in the statement: ‘I have hope’. The issue of hope is thus inherent in the multidimensional nature of man’s ‘being’ and the multidirectional character of his ‘becoming’. It is a response to what is associated with the vital situation of man in his existence. It requires courage, strain and effort. Man called homo esperans is open to and explores the future, trying to set distant goals which he is going to reach. What makes hope so distinctive is its turn to the future. It makes you aware that there is something more. Not all of our desires and expectations get fulfilled: some do while others do not. However, we do not lose hope even when they do not come true because there is still that paradoxical element of hope: having hope against… hope. Therefore, the time of hope is a time of dialogue, question and answer, and of applying hope to a specific event, the meaning and sense of which is interpreted through the prism of tomorrow.