BACOLOD CITY — There is no force that propels mankind to live and achieve stronger than the force of hope. People die only when they lose hope to live.

The basic element of ambition or a dream is hope. When hope is lost dreams die. A leader must be a dreamer because people want to follow dreamers. It’s difficult to paint a dream. So paint a hope.

How did Barack Obama take the U.S. electorate by storm last November? Through the sheer force of his popular book, “The Audacity of Hope.” He dared hope and the people hoped with him.

Like John F. Kennedy who, in the 60s, had also the audacity to hope to conquer the frontiers. He did and landed a man in the moon. His book “Profiles in Courage” told about the early leaders who dared to hope. Who stood courageously on issues hoping they were the best.

The famous historian Nietzsche wrote, “Strong hope is a much greater stimulant than any single realized joy could be.”

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Christmas is hope, the birth of a Redeemer to save us from sin. New Year is hope. There is always hope in something new.

“Soft as the voice of an angel, Breathing a lesson unheard,/ Hope with a gentle persuasion, whispers her comforting words…”

What is that word?

“Whispering hope, whispering hope, Oh, how welcome thy voice,/ Making my heart in its sorrow, rejoice…” Finish that song. It’s beautiful.

That witty English poet Alexander Pope wrote in his “An Essay on Man,” Hope springs eternal in the human breast,”

But not all places have hope. Dante in his “Inferno,” wrote “Abandon hope, all ye who enter here.” That’s where all the corrupt should be sent. They destroy our hopes.

But, while we live, never must we abandon hope. It is hope that conquers cowardice and fear. As it is faith that conquers doubt. The corrupt, we make them honest. We hope. Or chase them out of office.

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Emily Dickenson wrote, “Hope is the thing with feathers/ That perches on the soul,/ And sings the tune without the words,/ And never stops at all.”

And Longfellow adds, “The setting of a great hope is like the setting of the sun. The brightness of our life is gone.”

But the best is from John Greenleaf Whittier, “Behind the cloud the sunlight lurks,/ Through showers the sunshines fall;/ For God Who loveth all His works,/ Has left His hope with all.”

There’s a song, not very popular but the lesson on hopes is very apt. It’s “High Hopes.” There’s an old ant who wants to move a rubber tree plant. He cannot. “But he’s got high hopes, he’s got high apple pie and sky hopes.” He moved the rubber tree plant.

Then there’s a silly old ram who wants to punch a hole in a dam. They thought he would scram and stop butting the dam. But, no, “He’s got high hopes, he’s had high apple pie and sky hopes.” He succeeded.

The song ends, “So, keep your high hopes, your high apple pie and sky hopes. Like the ant, you can move a rubber tree plant and like a ram, punch a hole in the dam.”

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There are many things to hope for in 2009. Sammy Palanca and Bredco, aside from the port, SM City, a hotel and many more has many plans to improve Bacolod. No, the city must not get the port.

Many other businessmen, Roseller Ciocon of L’Fisher is putting up a bigger hotel, J V Tampinco and family are expanding fast.

They, like many other progressive people, are powered by hopes.

My friends in Sum-ag, Punta Taytay and Taloc are also hoping the work on the Pahanocoy-Sum-ag road will be finished soon. I have the feeling the contractor is not a civil engineer, the reason why the name of the contractor is not revealed.

No one also answered the question, was there a public bidding?

Let us end this with a song of hope. “And when the darkness is over,/ And when the tempest is done,/ Hope for the sunshine tomorrow,/ After the shower is gone.”

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