Mode of Hope
Does hope free us, or does it bind us to a desired future?
“Hope is the seed of freedom, because it envisions a life beyond the constraints imposed by the present order.” (The Revolution of Hope by Eric Fromm (New York, 1968)).
Freedom is a daily practice. You practice it while getting out of bed, brushing your teeth. You see it in the lines of your face in the mirror. While eating breakfast, in your cup of coffee. You put it in your bag as you leave home, get on the bus. When you light the first cigarette of the day, you blow it out through your mouth or nose. It is there with you when you sit down, stand up, lie, breathe, run, hide, and you do all of these things because you hope for something more, a life “beyond the constraints imposed by the present order.”
Some people spend their entire lives practicing it without ever coming close. It is only luck that you are not among them. Or are you?
Play creates temporary freedoms from established roles, expectations, and norms. Within the playful encounter, participants are permitted to experiment with alternative ways of behaving and relating. This freedom does not imply the absence of structure but the possibility of moving differently within it. Queer understandings of play emphasize its ability to loosen fixed identities and prescribed futures. Hope appears here as the freedom to become otherwise.