What on earth is 'hope'?

'Hope' in its purest sense is nothing. Absolutely nothing. I HOPE this or that will happen but I have no way of knowing if it will or will not, nor am I able to improve my life with its outcome, as it has not as yet, happened. If I act as if it will, I lose and succumb to melancholy, disenchantment or disappointment. Alternatively, I could choose to ignore the fact that the worst or wrong outcome eventuated, and fool myself into thinking I didn't care, as if I was somehow never aware of my attempts to fool myself.

Hope.

Tricky stuff.