THE PRINCIPLE OF HOPE

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I. Introduction
A frugal meal
Many things would be easier if we could eat grass. In this respect the poor man, kept as a brute animal in other ways, does not have it as good as that animal. Only the
air is readily available, but the soil first has to be tilled, over and over again. In a stooping, painful posture, not as one grows choice fruit upright against the wall. The
days of collecting berries and fruit, and of free hunting have long been a thing of the past, a few rich people live off a lot of poor people. Constant hunger runs through
life, it alone compels us to drudgery, only then does the whip compel us. If our daily bite to eat was as certain as the air, then there would be no misery. As it is, bread
grows like leaves on the trees only in dreams. Nothing of this sort exists, life is hard, and yet there has always been a sense of escape, and that it is possible. Since this
escape route was not found for so long, dreamy courage swarmed out on all sides.
The roast pigeons
A body which is full should have nothing to complain about. Provided it does not lack clothing and shelter, almost everything in other words. Provided there is no lack
of friends and provided life proceeds easily and peacefully instead of being the stormy ride accorded to most people. But only the fairytale, which is always instructive,
and the fairytale of an ideal state can tell us about the Magic Table, and the Land of Cockaigne. Just as the fountain of youth reaches into medical wishful images, so the
Land of Cockaigne reaches into social ones, is a cheerful prelude to them. All human beings are equal there, i.e. well off, there is neither effort nor work. Roast pigeons
fly into people's mouths, every pigeon in the bush is already like one in the hand, all things and all dreams are ready to hand as commodities. Thus those in Cockaigne
lead a pleasant life, they are no longer prepared to let the rich tell them how unenviable riches are. How unhealthy a lot of sleep is, how deadly leisure is, how much we
need deprivation so that all life does not come to a standstill. The people have merrily embroidered on their most nourishing fairytale, their most obvious utopian model,
and