Hope

It is the quintessential human delusion—simultaneously the source of your greatest strength and your greatest weakness.

—The Architect, The Matrix Reloaded

Hope is a serious and highly contagious condition in the world of Eden. Epidemics of hopefulness have been recorded all across the world, during both good years and bad, and it seems as if this contagion will never be truly eradicated. Despite the heroic work of despots like Oscar Diggs to cure Edenians of this affliction once and for all, hope, it seems, is here to say.

Causes

Despite rumors to the contrary, hope is not the result of wishful thinking. Hope is, according to Psychology Today, “a practical, evidence-based strategy for navigating uncertainty, adversity, and everyday life.” In other words, it’s the result of people thinking too much and thinking too clearly.

Oh, and breathing deeply seems to help it take hold. So be careful to avoid that. And if someone asks you to re-focus or re-frame the way you’re thinking about something awful that’s about to happen, run. It’s already too late for them, but it’s not too late for you.

(Unless it is, of course. I mean, eventually it’s too late for all of us.)

Symptoms

Afflicted individuals smile more and yell less. They may stop believing that people or the world are out to get them. Hell, they may even start to understand what they want out of life and how they might get closer to those goals. Craziest of all is that they might begin to speak of possibilities instead of probabilities, and they might actually be able to laugh it off if you tell them the odds.

Never tell them the odds. They’ll smile, shake their head, and they might even pass a hint of their hopefulness on to you.

Treatment

In the real world, a surefire way to stop hope in its tracks is social media. There is no better way to get rid of a bout of hopefulness than doom-scrolling on the misery box you keep in your pocket. In most parts of Eden, however, cell phones are just not a thing. If you’re in one of those places—in one of the kingdoms of Wonderland, for instance—seek out a group like the White Mages and they’ll set you straight.

Type

Mental

Origin

Natural

Cycle

Chronic, Acquired & Congenital

Rarity

Common