Had never considered pessimistic ways to view optimism until seeing a quote…
Shared this on my Facebook page, and wanted to share here too. Saw these quotes regarding optimism and the different perspectives. It made me chuckle because I can see both sides (I agree with the first):
“For despair, optimism is the only practical solution. Hope is practical. Because eliminate that and it’s pretty scary. Hope at least gives you the option of living.” ~Harry Nilsson
“I find nothing more depressing than optimism.” ~Paul Fussell
After several commenters responded also saying they preferred the former to the latter, this was my response:
I had never thought of optimism like the latter.
After reading it, I could see how having to think optimistically could be depressing for those that tend to sway toward the pessimistic end. After the inside of my head shifted for a bit, I saw the quote as optimism being depressing because that means things aren’t going well.
After catching myself tending to dwell on thoughts of “reality,” and noticing how much it would keep me down/stagnant, I found I prefer being optimistic after being aware of “reality”/circumstances, then choosing to dwell on the good/great/incredible blessings, knowing I may not be able to (quickly) change circumstances, but can change my outlook to handle them better for my health and well-being.
Definitely a life discipline.
How do you view optimism?
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