“disappointment is the engine of hope” (Miyazaki, 2004:70, discussing Ernst Bloch)

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This panel understands (through Genda Yuji and Miyazaki Hirokazu) the practice of hope as a matter of hanging-with failure, wasted-time, play, and telling ourselves stories which are neither true nor false in order to keep on going. This is no easy feat!

Professional life demands the constant demonstration of competency. To deliberately demonstrate weakness, waste, and ineptitude is usually, despite the mantra of “fail fast, fail often”, the route to termination of employment or candidature, another rejected funding proposal, or an indication that “professional development” is required. 

Inspired by the “Hallucination and Delusion Competition” developed at Urakawa Bethel House (a mental health clinic in Hokkaido, Japan), participants will present and celebrate their failures, wastes of time, and delusional stories, and then swap with others. Demonstrations can take many forms… whatever suits you. We welcome any conference attendee to join this alternative-style panel. Through demonstration and exchange this panel offers a place to turn weakness into collective hope, at least for a moment, and to create new openings for bringing the practice of hope into everyday life, together. Bring your best failure forward!