[2BNTV]

Originally Posted by eweissenbach

Very thought provoking quote Tal. I so agree that hope is the thing that keeps people going. Those who have lost hope are often the ones who take their own lives, and tragically, the lives of others. I remember when my father was living with my wife and I in his last years. He would walk outside and walk around his car, sometimes opening the hood to check the oil or antifreeze, sometimes wiping off the windows. He couldn't drive due to many infirmities, but you could tell he was thinking he would get better and once again gain his independence. My wife saw him one day and said "You need to tell your dad that he is never going to be able to drive, and he needs to get that out of his head". I replied, "No, we can't take away his hope, it is all he has. You and I know he will never be able to drive, but he needs to think it is possible."

Very wise indeed. We took the car away frm from my father as he couldn't see very far and didn't see what was in front of him. We became concerned he would run over a child and he was danger on the road.

Unfortunatley, taking his independence, (hope), away from him was the beginning of the end as he lost his will to live and his health deteriorated from that point going forward.