Genuine hope may have been fleeting for England. But it was still life-affirming | Max Rushden

Two minutes and 55 seconds.

That’s how long I really had hope of reaching the World Cup final.

And it didn’t kill me

In her book Hope in the Dark the author Rebecca Solnit examines if it is possible to have hope when you consider all of human suffering.

She quotes the Bulgarian writer Maria Popova: “Critical thinking without hope is cynicism, but hope without critical thinking is naivety.” By all accounts it is a compelling argument for hope as a catalyst for social change.

Meanwhile, Graham Burrell wrote: “It is the hope that kills you” following Lincoln City’s 2-1 home defeat to Wigan in 2024.

“I feel perhaps our playoff push was finally killed off yesterday.”

Sources: The Guardian