hope is a plan

HOPE IS A PLAN

I've said it here and you've read it elsewhere. “Hope Is Not A Plan”. And I shall agree. As a general rule, a rule of thumb, a guideline, that is correct. Hoping events forgive your lack of planning and past poor choices is no plan indeed. However. The Fates are cruel mistresses indeed. Mr Murphy could give two wet craps about your plans. And sometimes the dice keep coming up snake eyes. Hope is indeed needed, to thwart these outcomes. There is no way around that. Rejecting the need for hope is akin to believing you are immune to life.

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“I don't need hope, I've got a plan”. Yes, it sounds almost perfect, if a bit blustery and bombastic. Yet, even if you have a plan B and a C, there is another rule of thumb that counteracts your dismissal of hope. Stop me if you've heard this one. “No plan survives contact with the enemy”. Do you know how the Hope Haters deal with that one? They don't hope, no, they just retain their prior illusions. What is optimism, if not applying Hope to your future plans? Almost every swinging dingus reading this is an incurable optimist.

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I try to spell out your future using worse cases and pessimism, and for my troubles I'm mocked and ridiculed. “Oh, that Jim. So silly! But he makes me laugh so I'll keep reading”. I mean, sure, thanks for reading. Don't think I don't appreciate it. But if Hope is NOT a plan, why are you not looking at everything in light that optimists are delusional? You can still be happy, even knowing you are going to die a horrible death. That is what the planning is for, right? Like, saving the last bullet for yourself?

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Here is an optimist. “Oh, golly gee. Strolling in the woods, what a beautiful day. La de da. I'm sure glad I have my big and bad Rambo killing machine plastic poodle shooting death ray gun with full combat load. I'll be able to fight through any enemy, smiting their asses and going home to my trophy wife! Glad Panda!” And then the long pork eaters ambush you with a booby trap. With one free arm, you shoot wildly into the woods. “I'll kill you all! I am mighty warrior, hear me roar! You'll never defeat me! Show yourselves, cowards!”

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Now, here is a pessimist. “Holy friggin crap! I just know I'm going to die today. Good thing I got laid last night. I can't believe we didn't kill these cannibal bitches already. But, NO! Big chief monkey man thinks we can reform them. It's only a temporary situation, he says. Its unethical to kill them if they aren't harming us, he says. Oh, crap! Booby trap! Hump this, I'm eating a bullet right damn now, so I'm not tortured slowly for days”.

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Now, who was actually using Hope as a plan? Note that the pessimist didn't HOPE, no. He KNEW. He knew bad things were going to happen. The optimist, he THOUGHT he knew he was going to have a good day. He THOUGHT he could prevail against an enemy, for the simple fact he was the good guy and good guys always win. He wasn't hoping, he just thought he knew. No, stud, you did NOT know. You didn't know crap. You didn't understand that bad things happen to good people. You didn't know that everyone thinks they are the good guys. Hell, evil Baby Mamma direct from Hell thought she was Good.

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( Her ass was smoking, and I don't mean smoking hot. That big bastard was sporting cellulite even in her early 20's. I was blinded by bosoms. No, smoking from her last home in the underworld, her throne at the right side of Lucifer still warm from that ass. I was blinded by optimism. I thought, hey, marriage and kids. Who gives that up on a whim? I didn't HOPE that the marriage worked, no. I thought I KNEW that it was going to work, since I was trying to please the wife. What a tool I was. I had no reason to be a pessimist, because life had worked out okay so far. Sure, the military was a disappointment, but I was at least grateful it woke me up a little to the real world ).

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I was a flaming retard. I went into the military, full of optimism. Yeah, I want to kill things. Uncle Sam wants to stop communism. What could go wrong? I was optimistic, thinking the military wanted to protect Das Homeland, rather than just enrich itself and give the Generals stupid looking hats to parade around in. I was an idiot. The military lavished its soldiers with training and equipment. Not to win a war. The training and equipment are worthless for that. No, it is gain money and power.

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Every time I was optimistic, it bit me on the ass. Even someone as dense as myself eventually learns that an optimistic attitude is a very poor attitude indeed. HOPE is a terrible plan. And optimism is hope. Yet, be as pessimistic as you want, you still need hope. You just aren't guzzling it by the gallon, merely sipping on the bitter brew. Take the most fatalistic scenario. You know, getting older and no longer up to physical standards, most likely you are going to die during the apocalypse. You are okay with that. Well, you say, at least I'm taking some of those bastards with me!

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Good attitude. It's mine ( although note, I'm prepped for years past the die-off. I don't expect to live, but I must plan as if I will or I'll be left high and dry from lack of planning ). But, really, be honest with yourself. Even then, there has to be an element of hope involved in your plan. Your enemy may not storm your castle gates. They could just torch the thing. You could die from stress inducing a heart attack, with no enemy casualties to your name. You could rush out of your home, through the flames, and be shot dead by a sniper. Apropos to today's topical headlines, you could just die of a virus, swimming in your own fluids.

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Even if you follow strictly a self imposed dictate that you will leave nothing to chance, you only have X amount of resources. Say, your perfect retreat just had an asshat neighbor move next door, shattering your tranquility. And looking to be an antagonist. Since Hope Is Not A Plan, you must either move or erect high walls and other defensive measures. But what if you are unable to do either? And, after all, it isn't guaranteed he will be an enemy. But you cannot HOPE that, can you? So, you go on the offensive to kill him, Day One of the apocalypse.

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Putting yourself in danger. Because hope isn't an option. See the problem you can create for yourself? Again, hope is NOT a plan. But sometimes it is all we have. Sometimes, guidelines must have caveats. Somethings you don't have a problem, but a predicament. Which really ONLY leaves hope.

( .Y. )

( today's related Amazon link click HERE )

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note: nothing to do with doom and gloom.  Just a VERY well written book by a new-to-me author.  A pleasure to read.  Recommended for lovers of a well told novel.  So expertly crafted, the subject matter doesn't, in fact, matter at all.  Restores my faith in humanity, at least for a very short while.
HERE 
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note: free for today books, zombie HERE 
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note: normally this sort of video bores me, but it was fascinating to see how most of the food section in Costco was wiped out HERE 
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note: according to a good source, George Gammon, there were  five MILLION companies worldwide getting manufactured goods from Wuhan China.  Let that one sink in, Optimistic Ollie.
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