When asked the question, “Is the glass half full or half empty?” I find an answer does not come easily to me. It sort of depends on when you ask me, because optimism and pessimism come and go in equal phases in my life. There are folks out there who are either pessimists or optimists, all the bloody time and I couldn’t do that if even if I made the effort. Carrying the torch of either Perky Pollyanna or Cindy Snarkypants 24/7 would be so much more than I could handle. As a peacekeeping, diplomatic kind of personality it just wouldn’t suit me to try and solely serve either one of those masters. Why? Because I have learned (the hard way, I might add) that there is a time to be hopeful and there is a time to jump ship. Get out of Dodge. Go AWOL. The true gift is in knowing the difference.
Hope and optimism don’t seem to be the go-to, knee-jerk reactions to a lot of what life presents to us. There seems to be a considerable amount of effort that goes into mustering up a positive outlook when things aren’t even slightly all they’re cracked up to be. Researchers believe that optimism has a lot to with environmental factors, intelligence and possibly health. But honestly, just being optimistic can be pretty healthy for a person, too. Especially when fighting your way out of illness or hardship.
On the other hand, it has taken me a lifetime to learn that optimism, while a delightful trait, can be a little myopic and unhealthy in unrealistic doses.
Recently, I’d told a friend that it had always been in my nature to be the metaphorical kid in the room filled with manure who thinks, “There must be a pony in here somewhere!” She chuckled at my optimism in the face of insurmountable evidence to the contrary, basically stating that at some point facts need to be faced: you’re in a room filled with … well, nothing but what the pony left behind, courtesy of its behind.
Pessimism on the other hand, seems to come to people with no trouble and little provocation. Line up a test group of people 40 deep, whisper a handful of life’s secrets in their ears and I promise you there will be more negative reactions than good. One of my favorite statements about optimism versus pessimism is about how opinions can vary dramatically between people, even when judgments of fact are undisputed. I could go all philosophical and quote Schopenhauer and his ideas about pessimism – but he was a fruitbat. Just reading his thoughts on human nature and will would make anybody gloomy. About everything.
One of lyricist Johnny Mercer’s most popular songs, “Accentuate the Positive” (1944) contained lyrics to live by:
You’ve got to accentuate the positive – eliminate the negative – latch on to the affirmative. Don’t mess with Mister In-Between.
The song goes on to talk about spreading joy up to the maximum, bringing gloom down to the minimum and having faith or running the risk of pandemonium walking upon the scene. Personally, I try to avoid chaos and mayhem at every turn. But, maybe I’m just being overly optimistic about things.
And, for today? That’ll do.