In the dialogue between people of different cultures and religious orientations, a recurring theme is the question: "Can we always have hope? And in what?"
It is a question that resonates most intensely in moments of difficulty, or in the face of the most atrocious defeat or suffering, or even in the face of disappointment in an ideal or a set of values that had fascinated us.
It is precisely in these moments of doubt that we feel compelled to reconsider our own convictions, values, and beliefs in which we have placed our hope, and with them, find the strength to confront them and bring forth the greatness of the human being, capable of falling and rising again, of experiencing weakness consciously, without useless miraculous expectations.
Believing is much more than hoping for a solution to our problems; it's more of an impulse that allows us to keep moving forward. Life, precisely in those moments, can mysteriously become a true gift.
Believing in something that gives meaning to life isn't like accepting a contract you sign once and then never look at again, but rather it's a fact that transforms and permeates every daily choice.
A small help for living like this is to not dwell on extreme situations, which can only frighten and block us, but to face the small difficulties of each day, sharing them with our friends. In this way, if we do not falter, we will discover that each day can provide us with a new opportunity to believe and give hope to those at our side. It is the strength of friendship that seeks the good of others. When all is going well, it is easier to feel strong and courageous. But when we experience vulnerabilities, it is when we can build something that does not pass away and that will remain after us. It is the conviction that is acquired when we have shared life with someone who has believed beyond all else, who has struggled and suffered, and who has become close to everyone with their love. These people, after ending their life on this earth, leave such a mark, and their memory remains so vivid that—mysteriously—it makes us say, even beyond our religious or non-religious reference: "I believe, I believe. We are still together!"
