When you understand the world, there is no hope. For, there is only understanding. Hope is an answer to miscomprehension. And so, hopeing is belief in the positive outcome. And lack of hope is believing in the negative outcome. In essence, they are exactly the same. And so one can attain perfect happiness with both views.
To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness… And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.