What is Hope?

While still feeling melancholy... I'm wondering and I asked around for some thoughts... and this is what I got from my MSN pals... is there a definition for HOPE? Or is it confused with optimism, faith, coincidence or chance?

What is HOPE? *ahem, yes I asked every single one if I could quote them*

• To wish for something with expectation of it being coming true....
• Something intangible that can strengthen you and set you free, based on faith I think...
• HOPE... something that you know is true and will come true but cannot be seen right now but will come to pass soon. However.. if someone tells you to HOPE LAH... that is defined as NO HOPE LIAO, better jump of the Singapore Flyer at the top. *-.-'' I knew I was going to get some kind of answer from this person hahahaha*
• To believe; to look forward to with confidence...
• Hope is milder than wish and the word hope is taken for granted by many people i.e. i hope blablabla but without doing anything to it themselves. but it's defiitely better to be able to hope for something rather than not having anything to hope for.
• Expectation & Desire *hahha galfriend checked the longman dictionary for this!*
• Hope can be good or bad; hope is about believing.
• A dream/thought that something good will happen.
• Possibilities to make things right.
• Monday & Thursday night... after 7pm to be exact. *I was puzzled so I went HUH? and then it hit me. $1 million $$ hope. Hhahaha TOTO.. thats hope for you!* Funniest answer yet!
• Still be able to achieve, to look forward to. Still got chance?
• HOPE is something that I wish for in life... its a positiveness shown in myself
• Hope is a faith..a belief in the unseen...that glimmer..that light at the end of the tunnel that u knw will defnitely be there even when circumstances are tough now...it will be OK.
• Hope is when you have all the reasons to give up on something but you can't.

This is what Wikipedia says:

Hope is a belief in a positive outcome related to events and circumstances in one's life. Hope implies a certain amount of despair, wanting, wishing, suffering or perseverance — i.e., believing that a better or positive outcome is possible even when there is some evidence to the contrary.

More here.

So there isn't a right or wrong answer... and I know sometimes we all just want hope to be a tangible thing that we can just find and have. I sit back and close my eyes in silent recluse and listen to myself breathe.

Hope has levels doesn't it? Like having little hope and alot of hope? On scales of 1 to 10? How do you give hope? Can you create hope? Can it be given? Can someone give me more? What is hope to you?