Our society values blind optimism.

[stonedape]

Oh. Fuck all that shit. You shouldn't be immoral to expand creativity in a way that actually harms others.

You have to realize that is an optimistic goal.

[JeffofGallifrey]

Which is better: Blind optimism or blind pessimism?


I am known for offering barbed realism. Some people don't like it? Well, they can go fuck themselves. If you take a good look at the statistics, you'll realize there are over 7 billion people in this world and the odds of pleasing all of them are really low.

We're obliged to be kind but we aren't obliged to be optimistic. Especially since honest, useful opinions are often of more value than blind optimism.

[Losty]

Blind anything is never a better option. You can choose to see your glass as half empty or half full. The important thing is that you see the glass.

[JeffofGallifrey]

While we're at it, why even worry about whether the glass is half empty or half full? Why not just say it contains 5.2 ounces?

[fr0d0]

If the glass appears to be half empty, you didn't need it. If its half full, you did. Optimism is shaped by need. If you're wealthy, you don't need anything, so your outlook becomes pessimistic.

[Tonus]

I wonder if optimism is really a superior strategy to realism or pessimism. As a species, we seem biased towards optimism. However to assume that it has adaptive value just because we're biased toward it is I think an improper leap.

The information in the book surprised me, but McRaney also admits that much of this type of research is still fairly new and some of it is still being challenged and tested. I suppose one thing that makes it difficult is that we probably are not 100% optimist/realist/pessimist. We are confident in some areas, realistic in others, and lacking confidence in others.

And it seems to me that optimism has an upper limit of sorts. I can be as optimistic as I want that I'll be a billionaire tomorrow, but without the necessary pieces in place it won't happen. I can remain optimistic by claiming that it was just a setback and I'll actually make that first billion tomorrow, but now I'm heading towards a path of either being terribly let down or sinking into delusion. Optimism balanced with realism (I can't be a billionaire tomorrow, but what steps can I realistically take to improve my finances in a day?) can move us forward and help us to get through difficult times.

But I do believe that the tendency to underestimate ourselves is cultural. The idea that a humble person who puts the interests of others ahead of his own is the best possible person to be can be warped into believing that you put everyone ahead of you because they're better than you are. The idea that there's a higher power that will smooth things out in the end (be it god, or karma, etc) may allow us the convenience of setting aside our dreams or desires in the hopes that we'll win that cosmic lottery. Perhaps realism touched by a bit of optimism would be the better approach there.

[bennyboy]

If you're wealthy, you don't need anything, so your outlook becomes pessimistic.

Yeah, that makes sense-- about half sense, I'd say.

[Thumpalumpacus]

My life has meaning, meaning that I supply to it.

You impact the world around you, want to or not.

Indeed. In understanding that fact, we can design our interactions in order to contribute to the betterment of others.

Oddly enough, that's also one of the things that helps me supply meaning to my life: the principle of leaving the world a better place than I found it.

---

Surely conservatism must open as many opportunities as optimism.

That doesn't seem obvious to me. Wouldn't a conservative lifestyle expose one less to the vicissitudes of life?

The guy who says, "Y'know, I'm going to go downtown tonight to meet someone" has a much better chance of meeting someone than the guy who stays at home, right?

Now, staying at home on an icy evening might well keep you alive, too.

I suppose it's all what we define as opportunity.