A
few years ago I wrote a book recommending
without realising it.
optimism as a good way to see the world. When
The news is often more morbidly entertaining than
I told people what I was doing they would often
informative. And any journalist will tell you that disaster
take a step back – literally. It was as if I was arguing for
makes better news than celebration. Relaying horror
the impossible. Why would I want ignore reality in this
stories is good for big business and for politics. Anxious
way, they would exclaim: I only had to look around me
customers buy more stuff to soothe their emotions and
at all the wars and misery to disprove my thesis. There is
voters are quiescent when they are scared. The pessimist
something wrong about being cheerful while there is so
hears his beliefs confirmed – there is ever more crime and
much suffering in the world, was the implied view.
violence and abuse – and stops asking questions.
Circumstances seemed to prove they were right
The optimist, however, examines the source of his
and I was wrong. Just as I was sending The Optimist's
information to know who is delivering it to him, how and
Handbook to my publisher, the global financial crisis
why. More importantly, he tries to see things in context
broke.
and in balance. It is easy to forget that there have to
But I was not and am not deterred. You can always
be opposites (how would we know virtue if we didn't
find good reasons to throw your hands up in despair
know vice, peace if we didn't know war?) and there are
but let's get one thing straight to begin with. Bad things
cycles to all affairs – which should always remind us that
happen all the time and the true optimist doesn't wriggle
'progress' and 'development' are loaded words and when
out of this. 'If way to the Better there be,' wrote Thomas
we assume that things should go in a particular direction
Hardy, 'it exacts a full look at the worst.'
we are setting ourselves up for a fall.
Optimism is not an easy choice. If you want to play
Optimism, though, is more than an assessment of
safe in any argument and not expose yourself to ridicule,
facts. It is an attitude and it can take a consciouss effort.
be a pessimist.
The optimism/pessimism argument often comes down to
The difference between the two stances is often
an assumption about human nature (are we inherently
summed up as seeing the same set of facts in different
nasty?), a belief in human potential and a vision of the
ways: either the glass is half full or half empty. But any
long term. Things can take time.
thinking optimist or pessimist will point out that it is not
It is often argued that it is easy to be an optimist if life
that at all. It is the assessment of the facts that counts
is good to you but the truth may be the exact opposite.
– the contents of the glass can be measured exactly –
One of the most eloquent essays on optimism was written
followed by a judgment of which way things are heading
by the deaf and blind American woman Helen Keller.
– is there water to endlessly refill the glass or should we
Another famous optimist was Nelson Mandela, who spent
treat this as the diminishing last half glassful? On balance,
27 years in prison for his political beliefs, knowing that
going by the evidence alone, should we hope or despair?
the regime that had put him there could not last forever.
The first challenge, then, is to see clearly what is
going on.
We get most of our information about world events
The lucky and well-off, on the other hand, can be
deeply fearful and suspicious of the future because they
risk losing what they have.
through the mass media and social media. All the
Optimism has to be a deliberate and conscious choice
information we receive in these two ways has been
and there are two reasons to opt for it, the personal and
pre-selected and filtered by somebody before it gets to
the public.
us. Mostly we do not consume facts that we can and do
Positive thinking is in your own self-interest. Studies
check. We accept summaries, judgments and narratives
have shown that optimists are better equipped than
that save us from thinking too hard. In other words,
pessimists to recognise and adapt to 'negative' information
we feed on other people's obsessions and bias, mostly
and to take action to avoid risk or danger. They also tend
to rebound faster from bad luck and setbacks which they
are likely to reclassify as 'challenges'.
Optimists cope better with suffering – they have an
innate will to make the best of the situation and know
that despair serves no useful purpose. If you have to live
with pain or struggle with depression, optimism is really
your only option.
ODYSSEY 36
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DIGIMAG