That is why it is best to be a realist, with a sound grasp of cause/effect and cost/benefit.
One of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite characters: “Hope is the denial of reality. It is the carrot dangled before the draft horse to keep him plodding along in a vain attempt to reach it." The alternative? "remove the carrot and walk forward with our eyes open!â€
I don't care what label you want to apply to it - though "cynicism" is often equated with skepticism, which I consider quite healthy - it is how I think and seems most reasonable to me. When we speak of carrots and sticks, the carrot is something we actually get for our efforts, as is the stick if we don't measure up. The problem with the carrot in my example is that it is forever out of reach of the horse. It thus perpetually tantalizes, but never delivers.Is that not cynicism?
I share that view pretty much, although I might not frame it in those terms, my point though is that no one will thank you for that.
In fact, it will count against you. I'm sure of it at this stage in life. I'm absolutely sure that, in the UK at least, most people think carrot and stick is the only way to motivate others. Although steadily they are thinking less carrot and more stick. And I say others because its one of the remarkable things I've noticed because most people will generalise, extremely vaguely and often nastily, without ever believing that it will apply directly to them or who they are talking with or to.
As I have mentioned before, the glass is always completely full: partly of air, partly of water (or other liquid).
Optimism doesn't have to be an ignorance of reality. It can just be hoping and believing things will turn out well. In that way the pessimist is somewhat naive as they stay stuck on the less enjoyable, and seeing most of life is the journey it's not a very fun one.
That is why it is best to be a realist, with a sound grasp of cause/effect and cost/benefit.
One of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite characters: “Hope is the denial of reality. It is the carrot dangled before the draft horse to keep him plodding along in a vain attempt to reach it." The alternative? "remove the carrot and walk forward with our eyes open!â€
At that point, what did you have to lose? Cost/benefit success.My body was rendered incapacitated, so I decided to take that chance, to believe intially in her optimism for her contentment, and eventually for my own well-being.
Long story short, I lived to tell the tale.
Call it God, consciousness, higher-self, whatever happened, whatever was infused in me that night, the odds were beaten.
Obviously. These get folded into the calculation, too.There's more to us that the tangible and concrete reality in flesh.
They can be, but they're much easier to bring down to earth than pessimists, who seem to have had their minds poisoned by this outlook, while dressing it up as "realism" to justify a defeatist attitude. I can't stand it. An optimist tries. A pessimist does not. An optimist may suffer failure but at least they don't fear it.
It's usually people who used to be optimistic and naive and got suckerpunched by life because of it. You're right, it's not realistic, and in both the optimist and pessimist stage of their life, a sober perspective is what they've been lacking.That's my main gripe with people who call pessmestic outlooks "realistic". It's not realstic and pragmatic to assume the worse in everything.
That's my main gripe with people who call pessmestic outlooks "realistic". It's not realstic and pragmatic to assume the worse in everything.
is it naive to believe that things will turn out for the best?
optimistic characters are usually portrayed as naive and sometimes almost magical, or as children... why?
Yes. Neither optimism nor pessimism is realistic. The middle ground, of course, is realism. When fueled by strong values and ideals ("idealism"), it can accomplish great things.That's my main gripe with people who call pessmestic outlooks "realistic". It's not realstic and pragmatic to assume the worse in everything.