Pessimism, Optimism, & Realism
Today I spoke with a good friend for a long time. He told me about an excerpt he read from Lincoln's Melancholy by Joshua Wolf Shenk. Apparently, the excerpt discussed Lincoln's pessimism, his ability to see things as they really were, and his ability to act accordingly. My friend believes that pessimists often see a thing in its entirety, rather than simply seeing the "bright side" continually. He thinks they have a tendency to weigh the "pros" as well as the "cons".
Hmph. I thought that trait belonged to the realist rather than the pessimist. But I'll be honest: sometimes I don't know where to draw the line between the two modes of thinking. I hope that I am a person who is optimistically realistic. You know, open to success without being a fool.
The realist is willing to acknowledge that there is a point at which an endeavor must be classified as "successful" or "unsuccessful". I suspect the pessimist reaches that point rather early, and throws in the towel. The optimist may also reach that point early, giving the nod of approval prematurely. Or, the optimist may refuse to make an assessment, thinking "It's early yet ... I have to give this more time," when in reality, the project is doomed to failure.
And the realist ... his eyes are focused on the goal, he walks the tightrope as best he can, telling himself "I can do this, I just know it." If he fails, or gets distracted, or simply decides he wants something else instead, he has the presence of mind to make an informed decision to stop. He stops (this is somehow different from quitting), and while discouraged or dismayed, he is not defeated. The world can rest assured that it will hear from him again. He'll be back with another plan, another goal, another dream on the cusp of fulfillment.
A wise woman once told me: "There has to be a part of you, deep down inside, that will always be okay, no matter what." She explained that this is how we avoid utter ruin in this life. We hold fast to that part of ourselves that no one but God Himself could ever diminish. And God would do no such thing, because that part is precious. It enables us to know Him and others made in His likeness. It is that part which enables us to be known in the truest sense.
I think the realist is in touch with this part of himself, and is therefore balanced, able to make the necessary adjustments in his life.
I am struggling to be a realist, constrained by neither self-doubt nor foolish aspirations.
Hmph. I thought that trait belonged to the realist rather than the pessimist. But I'll be honest: sometimes I don't know where to draw the line between the two modes of thinking. I hope that I am a person who is optimistically realistic. You know, open to success without being a fool.
The realist is willing to acknowledge that there is a point at which an endeavor must be classified as "successful" or "unsuccessful". I suspect the pessimist reaches that point rather early, and throws in the towel. The optimist may also reach that point early, giving the nod of approval prematurely. Or, the optimist may refuse to make an assessment, thinking "It's early yet ... I have to give this more time," when in reality, the project is doomed to failure.
And the realist ... his eyes are focused on the goal, he walks the tightrope as best he can, telling himself "I can do this, I just know it." If he fails, or gets distracted, or simply decides he wants something else instead, he has the presence of mind to make an informed decision to stop. He stops (this is somehow different from quitting), and while discouraged or dismayed, he is not defeated. The world can rest assured that it will hear from him again. He'll be back with another plan, another goal, another dream on the cusp of fulfillment.
A wise woman once told me: "There has to be a part of you, deep down inside, that will always be okay, no matter what." She explained that this is how we avoid utter ruin in this life. We hold fast to that part of ourselves that no one but God Himself could ever diminish. And God would do no such thing, because that part is precious. It enables us to know Him and others made in His likeness. It is that part which enables us to be known in the truest sense.
I think the realist is in touch with this part of himself, and is therefore balanced, able to make the necessary adjustments in his life.
I am struggling to be a realist, constrained by neither self-doubt nor foolish aspirations.
posted by Wordsmyth at
6:16 PM
2 Comments:
Thing is, you'll get called (and treated as) a pessimist by anyone who feels he or she is currently being more optimistic than you are. This can make it hard to navigate social (and even professional) situations. If a group is being more blindly optimistic than you are, and you speak out, you are persona non grata immediately, a traitor in spirit.
A lot of big business policy is based purely on the blindest of optimism (resulting in things like the stock market crash of 1929, the hi-tech bubble burst of 2000). If you work in that environment, you stand out as a nasty pessimist if you even question the feasibility of expecting perpetual forward momentum.
I'm sure every prophet who ever prophesied came across as a pessimist to everyone. The thing is that, today, it isn't enough just to be generally optimistic, you have to be "positive" all the time. "Positive" is starting to be used like the Japanese word "genki" which means something closer to "perky/peppy" than the old British "Still, mustn't complain." The latter was about "we know things may be bad (i.e. the Blitz or some such) but it won't do any good to get down under it" while the former is "If you aren't perky, then you're pathetic."
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