Asking St. Thomas Aquinas About the Path to Happiness: Through Hope: Overcoming an Era of Despair: text by the Professor in the Department of Philosophy, at the Catholic University of Korea.
Hope: A spiritual vaccine for tasting true happiness, prescribed by God’s grace
God’s faithfulness is unchanging; thus, hope becomes an "anchor of the soul" that sustains the wayfarer amidst trials. *Allegory of Hope* by Gottfried Maas depicts hope as a woman holding an anchor and turning toward God.
According to the *Inferno* section of Dante’s *Divine Comedy*, the chilling phrase "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here" is inscribed at the gates of Hell. This declaration defines Hell not merely as a place of physical torment, but as a "closed space" completely stripped of opportunity, forgiveness, and the possibility of change.
The term "Hell Joseon," used to criticize Korean society, encapsulates these very characteristics of Hell. A reality where uncertainty about the future erodes conviction, and where individual effort crashes against structural barriers only to turn into cynicism and pessimism, starkly illustrates the "absence of hope" facing modern society. This state goes beyond mere psychological withdrawal; it leads to the destruction of human dignity. This is because a person stripped of hope loses the drive to align their actions with an ultimate purpose, effectively becoming a prisoner confined within the walls of the present.
In the face of such a crisis, examining Thomas Aquinas’s theology of hope offers essential guidance for distinguishing between worldly desires and true expectation, thereby allowing us to reset the direction of our lives. Aquinas does not reduce hope to mere vague optimism or emotional comfort. Instead, he interprets it as a powerful, practical force that enables humans to transcend their finitude and move toward the ultimate good.
Modern individuals, trapped by socio-structural barriers, have lost both their sense of dignity and the momentum to look toward the future.
Only by shaking off the vices of despair and presumption—and by orienting ourselves toward the "Good"—can we find hope and safeguard our happiness.