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It's been many years since Hurricane Katrina struck, decades since the nuclear bomb released in Hiroshima Nagasaki, and almost two decades since the 9/11 terror attack in America. It's also been seven years since I experienced the wrath of the monstrous terror group that is 'Boko-haram'.

After my experience, I asked myself a couple of questions: Are the victims of these calamities still hiding in their closets shaking with fear? Do they still feel the pain and hold onto it? What about me? should I still hold on to the horror? Of course not.

There's a lot going on in the world that's not right. There are natural and man-made disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, global warming, oil spillage and the deployment of nuclear warheads that plague our world, and lead to decades of birth defects and damage to the environment. And it may seem that the society we live in today seems to not know which way to go to stop it all.

And let's not forget tons of other societal problems such as starvation, rape, terrorist attacks, accidents, neighbor to neighbor violence, domestic assaults, boss assaulting employees, clerics demonstrating the exact opposite of the positive Godly attitude they teach, boyfriend killing girlfriend. I could go on.

Sobering experience for humans to go through. But does all of that stop us from living our lives to the fullest? Of course not, and that's because we are creatures of HOPE more than anything else!

Consider these:

Does the possibility that an accident might occur on the road to work stop you from heading out to do what you're good at?

Does the fact that your best friend's seven-year-old relationship ended with her boyfriend cheating on her, stop you from following your heart and saying yes to the man of your dreams when he finally comes around?

Does a single experience - Say a terrorist attack - make you hostile around a race or colour? How about what you heard? the stereotypes, do they stop you from reaching out, or having anything to do with people from a particular place?

Does the fear of a hurricane or tsunami stop you from taking your family to the beach after a year of tedious work? would anyone really be that spineless?

Even with the increase in crime rate, corruption, and hatred in the world, do you seal the windows, lock up your door and stay in your bed all day, just so nothing gets to you?

One thing keeps us going, even though we aren't sure about anything at all. It's Hope..

Hope is what carries us after the death of a loved one, it's what gives us assurance that they are in a better place free from pain and agony and allows us to let out a little grin even after so much suffering.

It's what makes us believe that tomorrow will be better, that somehow, someone somewhere will one day find the cure to cancer, and that together, humanity could find a lasting solution to global warming, world hunger, corruption and the bunch of them.

Hope is what makes us love and trust people again after several disappointments over time. It is what helps us get up in the morning feel the breeze on our face, stroll or drive out uncertain of what the day held.

It makes you believe you won't always be broke, that you won't always stay low, that you won't always lie there on that sick bed. It's what gives you the motivation to keep pressing on even when the final answer reads no. It asks you to try again, one more time!

_{Hope is the true religion. It is love, and laughter, and the joys that come with watching little things grow. Hope keeps you stronger to face the next day with a bit more confidence than you had yesterday. Hope is the past, the present and the future all in one.}

Hope means life to me. It is what keeps this world going round and gives us a reason to keep moving on, and to live for the next day.

I believe in the what hope means to me ripple on the blockchain by @pangoli, and i urge everyone to write in too, regardless of the fact that you aren't nominated by a friend yet. Tell the blockchain what hope is to you in a few words, and what events in your life made you believe in hope.

I nominate my friends @gloglo, @honourmaus, @harbysco, @mzajoke, @sandrazeal11, @olanrewaju, and @sparklez to make their entries.

PS: You're free to nominate as many friends as you like and use the #hopealive tag for visibility.