A Monument for the Anxious and Hopeful

A couple of weeks ago, I took a spontaneous trip to the Rubin Museum. I had a couple of hours to kill before a lunch meeting in the Chelsea area. I looked online for things to do in the neighborhood and decided to get some culture while I waited.

This was my first time at the Rubin. The museum has several levels of art from the Himalayas and surrounding areas. Their 2018 theme of “the future” encourages visitors to “consider a future that isn’t fixed but fluid.”

“A Monument for the Anxious and Hopeful” is an interactive exhibit on the first floor that stood out to me. Museum guests can share their anxiety or hope on a card and then display it on the wall as part of the exhibit. As I read the wall, many responses moved me. Here are a few examples:

I am anxious because…

• “I don’t know what will happen in the future”
• “I’m afraid of being alone so I overthink everything”
• “Life is really scary”

I am hopeful because…

• “I haven’t stopped breathing yet”
• “I have more time to keep learning”
• “Life is beautiful”

Anxiety vs. Hope

Anxiety and hope often reflects something that hasn’t happened yet and reveals what our outlook on life is. Though I consider myself a generally optimistic person, I’ve been known to worry about the future. It is so easy to get caught up in or overthink an outcome that has yet to occur.

When I Googled the word anxiety, the following definition came up: (noun) a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome. Synonyms include: worry, concern, apprehension, unease, fear, angst, nervousness.

The definition of hope is: (noun) 1. a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. 2. a feeling of trust. Synonyms include: aspiration, desire, wish, expectation, ambition, aim, goal, plan.

Do you notice the contrast in tones and how these words make you feel? Words that could be substituted for hope (e.g. aspiration, wish, desire) have a more uplifting connotation to it, while words associated to anxiety (e.g. worry, unease, fear or angst) seem heavier and have the opposite effect.

What makes you anxious or hopeful? As you reflect on your apprehensions and hopes, also consider your attitude, mindset and relationship with the future. Are you optimistic or pessimistic? How do you see life?

I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather be hopeful because “life is beautiful.”