Ryusuta
Smash Master
It's something that has been going through my mind for a long time. To me, it seems like the VAST majority of people in the world are pessimists, and strangely enough, seem to be proud of it, wearing the perspective like a badge of honor.
To me, I've never understood this. When I look at pessimism, it just looks like such a waste of energy and life. To me, it seems like an excuse to not try new things or allow yourself to desire what you want, because you feel like you just won't get it.
I believe it was Benjamin Franklin that said something along the lines of "If I'm pessimistic, I either get what I expect, or I'm pleasantly surprised." (And I might have that totally wrong, by the way.) Yet, I feel like this is a rather self-deluding perspective. If you go through life expecting the worst, you'll always be LOOKING for the bad stuff in life just in order to prove yourself right. All too often I see people get a look of smug satisfaction when something goes wrong, either for themselves or (especially) for someone else. To me, that happiness, that schadenfreude, is perhaps one of the most disgusting attributes of the human condition.
Is there real justification for pessimism in life?
Now, let's be clear on this for a moment. When I speak about optimism, I'm not talking about the rose-colored "Pollyanna" outlook on life, necessarily. I'm speaking only of the basic sense that you attempt to do something because you believe that the outcome will be that which benefits you. The absolute baseline feeling of the glass being half-full rather than half-empty (I managed to get 5 paragraphs in before making that analogy!).
Also, let's not obfuscate this debate with garbage statements like "I'm not an optimist OR pessimist." Not only do I believe that to be a total and complete lie to start with (I hold that it's impossible to have entirely neutral preconceptions of every potential event), but it does nothing to advance this discussion whatsoever.
Remember, that none of us here are stupid. We ALL base our predictions on what we feel like the most realistic expectations. Even pessimists can expect a good outcome if it's the only realistic possibility, and vice-versa for optimists. Again, I'm speaking of a general tendancy toward one perspective versus the other.
Which outlook makes the most sense?
To me, I've never understood this. When I look at pessimism, it just looks like such a waste of energy and life. To me, it seems like an excuse to not try new things or allow yourself to desire what you want, because you feel like you just won't get it.
I believe it was Benjamin Franklin that said something along the lines of "If I'm pessimistic, I either get what I expect, or I'm pleasantly surprised." (And I might have that totally wrong, by the way.) Yet, I feel like this is a rather self-deluding perspective. If you go through life expecting the worst, you'll always be LOOKING for the bad stuff in life just in order to prove yourself right. All too often I see people get a look of smug satisfaction when something goes wrong, either for themselves or (especially) for someone else. To me, that happiness, that schadenfreude, is perhaps one of the most disgusting attributes of the human condition.
Is there real justification for pessimism in life?
Now, let's be clear on this for a moment. When I speak about optimism, I'm not talking about the rose-colored "Pollyanna" outlook on life, necessarily. I'm speaking only of the basic sense that you attempt to do something because you believe that the outcome will be that which benefits you. The absolute baseline feeling of the glass being half-full rather than half-empty (I managed to get 5 paragraphs in before making that analogy!).
Also, let's not obfuscate this debate with garbage statements like "I'm not an optimist OR pessimist." Not only do I believe that to be a total and complete lie to start with (I hold that it's impossible to have entirely neutral preconceptions of every potential event), but it does nothing to advance this discussion whatsoever.
Remember, that none of us here are stupid. We ALL base our predictions on what we feel like the most realistic expectations. Even pessimists can expect a good outcome if it's the only realistic possibility, and vice-versa for optimists. Again, I'm speaking of a general tendancy toward one perspective versus the other.
Which outlook makes the most sense?
Pessimism lead to stress. "I can't do this." "It will never work.". Saying that to yourself builds up stress which will later cause physical problems alongside the already psychological ones.