How to discourage student cheating on online exams (opinion)Readers and critics seem disturbed by this, that hopelessness must mean we live in an irreconcilable and irredemable world.I was not bothered by Coates’ supposed “hopelessness” because to me, the book is an effort to convey his own truths, and that effort is apparent.
I hadn’t thought along these lines before, and I find them very helpful.I must say (again) I am guilty as charged.

A good portion of our philosophy and theology since Renaissance times is laced with hopelessness. It is the pseudo-action of being on the sidelines, protected from hurt, but paralysed from doing anything. You need to correct all those bad typing errors.

The word hopeless is in itself dismal and depressing. It doesn’t take no for an answer. I … As a work of artistry it is beyond reproach.10 strategies to support students and help them learn during the coronavirus crisis (opinion)I respect it in others, but for me, to hope is to lie, and I try not to lie.I actually have very little belief that the things I value – reasonable access to undergraduate education conducted at a person to person scale – will be maintained in a meaningful way for anyone other than the already privileged and a handful of lucky few who are let through the gates.Uncharted Territory: The Art of Discipline and ImprovBaldwin wanted to believe that change was possible, but he also named his most celebrated work of non-fiction,So no, I am not hopeful. Antonyms for despair include hope, encouragement, belief, confidence, hopefulness, reassurance, comfort, faith, cheer and cheerfulness. Hope deferred makes the heart grow weary we read, but without hope where is the foundation stone of our faith. Every blessing StanAm I just being cynical by observing a lack of hope in many today? This view, I think, is based on the idea that they represent contrasting ways of looking into the future -the fear factor as it is sometimes called is generally seen as a negative or pessimistic view and hope is seen as showing a positive or optimistic view. Cynicism, on the other hand, merely critiques. I’m wondering if hopelessness is the first requirement of progress.Practical advice for instructors faced with an abrupt move to online teaching (opinion)Professor suspended for saying Chinese word that sounds like an English slurTo Use or Not to Use Virtual Private NetworksA similar attitude is found in the work of the man often identified as the most significant forbearer to Ta-Nehisi Coates, James Baldwin. Despair is the belief that things wont. I don't think but resigning is an act that a hopeless person can do. The opposite of hope is hopelessness or despair, and these things permeate our world and sometimes even the church. Prayer is feisty. Is What do you think?“A praying life is just the opposite. He was not in the hope business.I have been rereading Ta-Nehisi Coates’ new bookOne of the reasons I defend the values that I think are important to education is because I have seen them making a difference to students. So what is the opposite of hope? I think the opposite of hope is hopeless. 6 I counted so far. Somehow these dulled, partial truths often feel more real to me than the truths taught by Scripture. I wonder.When I post in this space, I sometimes get comments or emails from people who see things similarly, expressing gratitude for remaining “hopeful” despite the challenges facing education.If I cannot hope, and I do not wish to embrace despair, what am I left with? Is it cynicysm or lethargy we are experiencing? Is this where the body of Christ is losing out? I am Hope is good even in the face of terminal cancer. It seems that so many now are neglecting the powerhouse of the the church, PRAYER!!! Every church should be active and indeed on fire at prayer meetings, be it individual or corporate, yet we see numbers dwindling in prayer groups: it being seen as something “others” do!!!! Hi Peter, read your article with interest. In my personal experience, cynicism is another form of self-protection (no hopes to be disappointed = no disappointment), and I find it interesting that you (or rather Miller) draws on the example of prayer – I’ve recently realised that particular periods of of “prayerless-ness” in my own life have been directly related to periods of cynicism, or related forms of doubting God’s goodness and/or kindness.A good word here, Peter: thanks. I was struck by this comment in But hope is a far greater feature of the character of God than cynicism. Characters in the Bible, like us, are either acting in faith or in fear; out of love or hate; and hope, or, well, hopelessness. And without quite realizing what he had done he had become a follower of death rather than life. Adam had been given that authority and glory by God but then gave himself over to the Serpent’s words rather than to God’s word in the Fall.

It is passive, cocooning itself from the passions of the great cosmic battle we are engaged in. By reorienting us to the source of enduring hope: our delight that comes through worshipping and enjoying our Creator.For all its complexity, the Bible has a habit of presenting things along pairs of trajectories. I think it is a mistake to believe that the opposite of hope must be despair. We tell dying people to keep up hope. Yet this is not living.

How?
It engages evil. Back to Miller:It’s striking that Jesus didn’t dismiss that claim but came, instead, to challenge its basis by asserting the priority of worshipping God and no one else. He was not going to tell a lie. It is easier for me to feel skepticism and nothing thanSo thanks for letting my mind roam a bit through the field of God’s grace!“To be cynical is to be distant. The think thank that supports the neoliberal “New American University” whereBut why must we cling to the notion that the world may be redeemed? Baldwin always stood apart from other activists of the Civil Rights era because he was more artist than activist. The whole point of faith is that it hopes for what is not seen, and in our society nowadays it seems people only want to deal in actualities, what they can see.

Teaching. I respect it in others, but for me, to hope is to lie, and I try not to lie.--I do not despair.