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Optimist or Pessimist?

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Optimist or Pessimist?

noscholar
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Posted 03/02/09 - 06:35 AM: Subject: Optimist or Pessimist?	#1
Is it better for a man to maintain an opti9mistic perspective or a pessimistic one? If a man can bring himself to believe, either through religious conviction or by whatever means, that things, on the whole, are good (and will continue to be that way) he map go through life stress-free with a supportive net work of friends (who are basically good people) and believe, even though there is suffering in the world, we will aid those in need so we should not dwell on the negatives in life. Things are good and will get better. A pessimistic view recognizes the immense suffering and injustice perpetrated on the majority of people in the world. Man is an innately selfish and self-serving being who will manipulate events to his advantage whenever he can. Mankind exhibits an unhealthy desire to accumulate unneeded goods at the expense of the health of the world. Things are bad and will get worse. Two views: one fantasy, one reality?

Wosret
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Posted 03/02/09 - 08:00 AM:	#2
Better in what sense, exactly?
"If you've got any last words, say 'em now." - Nadie. "I am Horo the Wise." - Horo the Wise.

ManiacJack
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Posted 03/02/09 - 08:04 AM:	#3
If someone can retain optimism with the advent of a worldwide depression, then optimism is in no way better.
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IntelCore
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Posted 03/02/09 - 10:58 AM:	#4
Is it better for a man to maintain an optimistic perspective or a pessimistic one? Depends on your ultimate goal. I think if you are utilitarian, a world where everyone is optimistic would be much happier than one were everyone is pessimistic. That is why I try to be realistic, but see the positive side of things. For example, one can easily focus on how much war there is in the world, how terrible we treat other human beings, how torture and child labour is used, lack of human rights everywhere, ecological problems, difference between rich and poor, how the rainforest is being cut down etc. Or, one can see how much we have progressed and where we are heading. The world is a many times more peaceful place now than it has every been, the further you look back the greater difference ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ramBFRt1Uzk If you disagree watch this), racism is seen as negative in all of the world (as opposed to being the default position like it always was) slavery is abolished, women have much more equal rights, although the important rainforest is being cut most of the forest in the world are now growing in size, and even though the difference between rich and poor are great, the poorest today are much richer than the poor just a few generation ago, let alone centuries. Last century, the poor could starve to death. Today, the poor live in a house with a car and a TV, but they can't afford to go abroad on vacation. I disagree with your proposition that humans are selfish, etc etc and especially that one view is fantasy, the other reality. Most humans are clearly very altruistic much of the time, if we were not naturally altruistic we probably would not find it a moral virtue either. I recommend Richard Dawkins' "The Selfish Gene" to understand how we can have evolved into being so unselfish. I don't know about you, but I love when someone stops me on the street and asks for directions, if I can help them. I very much enjoy giving someone a present. For my part, the best things in life are shared. Yes, we have many characteristics that we see as bad or unhealthy, but I disagree that "things will get worse". How much money did the Roman Empire send to the "developing world"? How many primary schools did the Norwegian Vikings help set up in Peru for free? The closer we are to the present, the more efforts have been done to deliberately spread wealth around the world. However, I very much doubt it changes your likelihood of action whether you chose to focus on the positive of the negative side of things. Many who have faced immense challenges and done a great deal of work on them, such as Gandhi and the Dalai Lama, are extreme optimists, yet realistic. I am very optimistic, yet study sustainability in architecture. To think positively does not make you less realistic or hinders you from taking action, it only makes you happier. I think the media is strongly biased towards pessimism, because the news of a school shooting in Japan sells much better than the news of a charity giving children in Congo free education. The news of a oil pollution disaster in Russia sells much better than a 10.000m2 of rainforest being saved somewhere else. The news of 150 people killed on the Gaza strip (not a lot, considering there are 6.000.000.000 people in the world) sells much better than an effort by EU to stop a famine in a far away country. Because of this, anyone who is not educated in history and unable to see "the big picture" or any event "in perspective" will naturally grow very pessimistic by following the media. As I am sure you can see, from the same facts that one person might derive a negative worldview, another may see progress and hope. Besides, optimists live longer :P Important: I do not think that blind happiness is a good thing at all. Although I might for example wish there is a God and that I will see all my beloved ones after I die, I think the proposition is very suspect and I am strongly inclined to dismiss it out of hand. That does not make me less of an optimist, instead I see how important it is to value the short life I was given, against astronomical odds.

wuliheron
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Posted 03/02/09 - 11:44 AM:	#5
"An optimist is someone who believes this is the best of all possible worlds, and a pessimist is someone who is afraid they are right." Annonymous Studies have shown that pessimists tend to be more realistic than opistomists, but more stressed as well. The question then of which one is better is like asking if a glass if half empty or half full. It is obviously both and both viewpoints are therefore flawed. What is better is to be able to allow ourselves to see the whole which is greater than the sum of its parts.

IntelCore
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Posted 03/02/09 - 06:21 PM:	#6
Wuliheron, I would really like to see a reference to that study, especially how they defined who is optimist and pessimist. If by optimist you mean people who say, "It's probably going to be sunny tomorrow", then I have a different definition. If by optimist you mean people who say "According to the forecast it's going to rain tomorrow, what a great excuse to have fun indoors instead!" then I am interested in learning how that affects their judgement of the world negatively.

Sokar408
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Posted 03/02/09 - 10:46 PM:	#7
As a person with emotional problems, I might be wrong. But I read some material from a guy called Dr Paul, and to be honest, the guy is on to something. While what he has is limited in the sense of how long it takes to absobe it, it really teaches one to control oneself. I for example had problems with everything, cause I always found some negative outcome of any situation, and I always assumed that that was the only only outcome. After reading that, nothing seems impossible. He teaches how to gain confidence, in a way so simplistic you can't even believe you didn't figure it out on your own. That any decision, as long as being contructive, will earn you confidence no matter the outcome. Thinking this way is in my mind, optimistic, cause you won't make destruction of negative decisions. To get directly on point. You can't positive to the point where your become ignorant or is in denial. Thats not healthy. But going around and always finding the negative in all situations, is not healthy either, cause it will keep you from acting when good oppotunities come along. staying contructive and win win, if in my opinion the only way to life and have a chance to become forfilled in life. There is no positive without negative, not light with dark, no good without evil. Finding the balance is the key!

kkiiji
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Posted 03/03/09 - 11:12 AM:	#8
Pessimism is disgusting, over-abundance of optimism is also disgusting. Pessimism is often associated with a massive distaste for life, something to be avoided at all costs unless you really want to lead a horribly unsatisfactory life. Optimism on the other hand could lead to yet another escape from what life has to offer, sugar coatings that allow us to hide in the teets of comfort, an illusion. Better to be a realist.
Heard joke once: Man goes to doctor. Says he's depressed. Says life seems harsh and cruel. Says he feels all alone in a threatening world where what lies ahead is vague and uncertain. Doctor says "Treatment is simple. Great clown Pagliacci is in town tonight. Go and see him. That should pick you up." Man bursts into tears. Says "But Doctor... I am Pagliacci." Good joke, everybody laugh. Roll on snare drum... Curtains.

wuliheron
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Posted 03/03/09 - 01:44 PM:	#9
IntelCore wrote: Wuliheron, I would really like to see a reference to that study, especially how they defined who is optimist and pessimist. If by optimist you mean people who say, "It's probably going to be sunny tomorrow", then I have a different definition. If by optimist you mean people who say "According to the forecast it's going to rain tomorrow, what a great excuse to have fun indoors instead!" then I am interested in learning how that affects their judgement of the world negatively. It took only a few moments to find something using google, no doubt you can find more on your own. (is that an optimistic or pessimistic statement?) http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/beastmom/archives/117233.asp Social scientists have been researching this issue for ages. What they have repeatedly found is that most people tend to be optimistic. For example, almost everyone who goes to college believes they will graduate while in reality 25% will not. Likewise, the vast majority of people believe they are better than average drivers. In general optimists tend to have inflated ideas about their abilities, look for easy solutions, etc. Among the most pessimistic are the poorest percentage of the population who do not have the resources to recover from taking chances. These people tend to have epidemic proportions of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and other problems that affect their health and outlook in clear and undeniable ways. I could go on and on, but really, just do the google thing.

noscholar
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Posted 03/06/09 - 06:56 PM:	#10
Wosret wrote: Better in what sense, exactly? Good question. I was thinking from a personal stand point. Since we all live a more or less delusional life how much reality can we absorb.

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