"What is the difference between optimism and hope?" she asked.

I answered without hesitation: "It's the same as the difference between John Lennon and Paul McCartney."

The podcast host responded predictably: "What?!?"

I explained as follows: Optimism derives from the same root as optimum. Optimists eagerly anticipate the fulfillment of their dream scenarios with no regard for the facts on the ground. The best of all possible outcomes, they believe, waits for them around every corner.

The ethical mind, however, rejects irrational exuberance as fervently as it rejects cynicism and defeatism. Between those extremes, we find emotional balance and psychological well-being by adopting an outlook of hopeful realism.

Cases in point: Lennon and McCartney.

In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine published its list of "500 Best Songs of All Time." Showing up at number three, we find John Lennon's iconic ballad "Imagine." The former Beatle's epistle to Marxist ideology evokes a perfect world with no countries, no possessions and no accountability for our choices — an idealistic future of universal tranquility and bliss. You can almost imagine that the lyrics really did blossom, fully formed, from a conversation with Forrest Gump on the Dick Cavett Show.

Like Marxism itself, Lennon's chimerical magnum opus is completely detached from reality. There is no roadmap for getting there, just as there is no way of getting to the mythical village of Brigadoon. The juxtaposition of the composer's utopian vision against the senseless violence of his death underscores the tragic irony of his message.

Down at #20 on the Rolling Stone hit list appears Paul McCartney's aspirational masterpiece, "Let it Be." No rose-colored optimism here; only cautious, measured hopefulness in our ability to chart a course through troubled waters to arrive at safe harbor.

"For though they may be parted

There is still a chance that they will see

There will be an answer

Let it be.

And though night is cloudy

There is still a light that shines for me

Shine until tomorrow

Let it be."

We can't dispel the clouds or hold back the darkness. But we can still find our way forward by seeking the signs and the markers of those who have gone before us, by discerning the flickering lights of wisdom that persistently penetrate the twilight of uncertainty.

That's a message we can truly rejoice in, and which informs this week's entry into the Ethical Lexicon:

Thanksgiving: noun

The act of giving thanks; grateful acknowledgment of benefits or favors.

A public celebration in acknowledgment of divine grace and kindness.

In his 16th-century satirical novel, "Utopia" Sir Thomas More lays out his vision of an idealized society on an island nation. Literally translated as "no place," Sir Thomas does not offer a blueprint for a perfect world. Rather, he forces us to contemplate the challenge of making our world better, incrementally, without severing our connection to reality.

The danger of utopianism is that, by encouraging our expectation of a future that will never arrive, it undermines our appreciation for what we have and for the distance we've come. In contrast, feeling gratitude and expressing thanks for the many blessings that fill our lives holds us accountable for preserving and improving the world we've inherited. Then we can begin the demanding work of building on the foundations of the present to create a better future.

That is the essence of hope.

The Hebrew word for hope is "Tikvah," derived from the same grammatical root as vector, a course charted toward a desired goal or destination. It's also the title of the Israeli national anthem, which celebrates the realized dream of a people who returned to their ancestral homeland after 19 centuries in exile.

Despite being surrounded by hostile neighbors and maligned by the community of nations, Israel has not only survived but thrived. Against overwhelming odds, Israelis maintain an irrepressible spirit of hope in what they have accomplished and what they can continue to achieve.

Why is it, then, that so many Americans, with countless reasons to feel gratitude, have traded manifest destiny for existential angst? Perhaps by reflecting on how much cause we have to be thankful about the present, we will find more reason to be hopeful about the future that lies ahead.

See more by Yonason Goldson and features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists; visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.

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