I have optimism in part for the same reason a lot of people seem pessimistic: humanity.
Because humanity produces people like James Cameron (Just donated his submersible to science, because science), Norman Borlaug (saved a billion people, didn't sit on his ass about the world hunger crisis), Elon Musk (doing better at getting us back in the space race than our government is doing), James Randi (rooting out bullshit everywhere and providing for education while he's at it), Jacque Fresco (trying to rethink society and engineering so everyone benefits), Neil deGrasse fuckin' Tyson (do I *really* have to qualify him?), Carl Sagan (If you said yes to the previous one, this one will make me smack you upside the head), etc. If you look past your Bible and Fox News, there are tons of famous people working FOR GOOD out there, and tons more who aren't famous working in the background for the same thing.
If you ask me, you have to be intentionally turning a blind eye on all this in order to be pessimistic.
Because humanity produces people like James Cameron (Just donated his submersible to science, because science), Norman Borlaug (saved a billion people, didn't sit on his ass about the world hunger crisis), Elon Musk (doing better at getting us back in the space race than our government is doing), James Randi (rooting out bullshit everywhere and providing for education while he's at it), Jacque Fresco (trying to rethink society and engineering so everyone benefits), Neil deGrasse fuckin' Tyson (do I *really* have to qualify him?), Carl Sagan (If you said yes to the previous one, this one will make me smack you upside the head), etc. If you look past your Bible and Fox News, there are tons of famous people working FOR GOOD out there, and tons more who aren't famous working in the background for the same thing.
If you ask me, you have to be intentionally turning a blind eye on all this in order to be pessimistic.