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I am the eternal optimist. Always have been.
The glass is always half full.
When it comes to doom and gloom..".well it could have been worse" is what I say.
Old saying: The basis of optimism is sheer terror!
I always think the worst is going to happen, and I don't dare move into optimistic territory, because, historically, when I think positively/optimistically, everything falls apart. Always has. Thinking negatively, ironically, nothing bad, or the worst, has ever happened.
Tomorrow, I can just feel it, my car is going to break down somewhere!
I see optimists/positive thinkers as people unburdened by negative emotions influencing their thinking or actions. They are intrinsically positive, it isn’t something they work to achieve.
I wish I were an optimist, but I am not. I’ve settled for being less of a pessimist.
One's attitude and reactions to situations are not intrinsic. It's a chosen, perhaps ingrained pattern that doesn't have to be permanent.
Optimists are human. They have negative thoughts and emotions. They just make a willful decision to move past the dark and look to find the light in a situation.
Based on past experiences, and the current political climate, I am cynical. Not sure if that makes me a pessimist. Maybe so, since it seems like humans are devolving in certain ways.
But I approach new people and experiences with a positive attitude.
Studies indicate ones happiness quotient is 40% determined by genetics, so "choice" in the matter is limited. Or certainly all would choose it.
The future looks tough. I'm glad I grew up when I did.
I tend to be a "glass half full" kind of person, I think I am wired that way. When bad things happen, I guess I go into shock for a short time, think it's possible I may never get through it, then start thinking of ways I can mitigate, adjust to, or maybe even fix the problems.
Not that I never worry or stew about a possible worst case scenario. But I find it helps to make myself think of the worst thing that could possibly happen, then think of what I could do to make the best of it. I'm comforted in knowing the worst case scenario likely will not happen, and that if I can handle the worse case scenario, I surely can handle the lesser case scenarios.
It's not an old age perspective, at least in my case, I have been more on the optomistic side all my life. What I do think (at least for me), is that in my old age, a lifetime of experiences, including any number in which I had to overcome adversities (tragic in some case), and had to rely on my own abilities to do so, have given me a sense that I really can overcome anything.
^^^This very much describes me too. The bolded part especially. I have written something very similar in another thread. It sounds like kooky optimism, but I really do believe that in my life, everything is going to be okay, no matter what happens.
I always thought myself a pessimist & cynic.
Then last year my son was run over by a freight train.
Now grace embraces me, I in turn embrace grace.
I am very sorry for your loss.
But I don't understand what is meant by your last sentence (i.e., "grace"). I have heard one of the current POTUS candidates use a similar phrase ("pursued by grace") and don't really understand what that means either. Does it have something to do with religion?
But I don't understand what is meant by your last sentence (i.e., "grace"). I have heard one of the current POTUS candidates use a similar phrase ("pursued by grace") and don't really understand what that means either. Does it have something to do with religion?
I think it means God's grace without specifying any specific organized religion.
It's Christian in nature.
Studies indicate ones happiness quotient is 40% determined by genetics, so "choice" in the matter is limited. Or certainly all would choose it.
The future looks tough. I'm glad I grew up when I did.
Not fully genetic. There may be a small predisposition to low serotonin production, which influences mood. However, even in this case, humans retain the ability to choose their thoughts and actions. Is that not so?
Based on past experiences, and the current political climate, I am cynical. Not sure if that makes me a pessimist. Maybe so, since it seems like humans are devolving in certain ways.
But I approach new people and experiences with a positive attitude.
Studies indicate ones happiness quotient is 40% determined by genetics, so "choice" in the matter is limited. Or certainly all would choose it.
The future looks tough. I'm glad I grew up when I did.
Not from my point of view. My kids have it easy. But I have to admit, it’s much crazier now.
...humans retain the ability to choose their thoughts and actions. Is that not so?
I couldn't disagree more. Our thoughts are not strictly "our own", but impede or assist in unfathomable ways. We don't choose to be unhappy, any more than we choose to be short, fat or poor.
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