it really is a thin line isn't it?
between hope and despair, there lies lifetime's, the oldest story you can find, the battle between light and dark, played out from the beginning, played out right now, every decent spiritual truth nails it, every spiritual path leads to it. it's in space, look at the stars, there are more now than there was in the beginning.
does that mean the light is winning, i don't know. it means there are stars in the darkness, some shine bright, some dimmer, some are long dead and gone, but some just get born. every man is a star, ever man can be a star, a sun or a black hole out there, sucking up light. one day i will look up and see light everywhere. 
that's the prime directive, forget everything else, it's just your fiction, just your drama. the war between light and dark is a thin thin line, sometimes you may find yourself undercover, and as the mighty tao teaches all light beings have a little darkness within, all darkness contains light and the riddle like the inscrutable chinese equation, is that hope or despair?
jesus forgave his enemies, imagine that as a teaching and apply it. buddha let it go, apply it to your own belief and need to be right. krishna teaches how all is illusion only the internal battle matters. are you winning?
then there is hope.