In short, I chose the name Espero for myself. I did it to see the word on signs, buildings, chat, even the forums.

Life is not always as fun as a game like Minecraft can be. In Minecraft, something terrible can happen and everything will be okay. You can fall 60 meters into a lake of lava and you've only been slowed down. Things go on. In life, it is the opposite. Small things can build up and stop you completely.

The word Espero simply means "hope". When I get warp to the city, I see the word on the signs. When I run back as fast as I can from skeletons and zombies, I see the word on buildings. When I read chat, the word occasionally pops up.

When I hear yelling from other parts of the house, I can go see the word. When good people do bad things, I see the word. When my life is torn apart in front of me by people that have no intention of helping me, I see the word.

Hope.

If Minecraft is a game, then so is painting and sculpting and playing music. Sure, none of those things necessarily take up all of your time, but you may do it to feel better or to get some release or to just smile at what you've done. The last time I had a life-changing moment, I played on a now-shutdown server called 0x22. I ventured out into the wilderness and past cities and snow-covered mountains and built a dome in the snow. Inside were hundreds of torches and bright, green grass. The sign on the door contained one word.

Hope.

If you don't understand, this post isn't really about Minecraft. It's about expressing yourself and dreaming and wishing and, of course, hoping.

No matter what life gives to you, there is always hope.

jpkoushel