Optimism

Notes

Optimism is a type of Leap Into Faith, it is a decision to look at the facts of a current situation and believe that things could be better. Note that it is not a naive outlook. It is not a "don't worry be happy" approach, but rather a "we will overcome" Confidence. They don't argue with pessimists on how bad the current situation is, or whether bad things will happen. it is only a disagreement on the future, whether things could and would be better from now on. It is a unwavering belief in the power of Agency, that humans are good as default and that together we could find win win situations, we can improve and rise from this difficult situation. That we would not fall to Helplessness, that we have the power to do something about it, and we will.

Since we can't shake off our Mental Glasses, why not choose one that promotes our wellbeing and capabilities in this life? These outlooks are a type of Self fulfilling prophecy. Those who believe everything going downhill and there's nothing to do about it won't act, which would bring a worse situation, while optimists would work for a better world, thus bringing it into existence. Optimism is the only rational decision of a pragmatist.

A strong force that opposes optimism in a hidden way is Nostalgia, because it is rooted in the feeling of "what we had before and lost is better than what we have now". It forces us to focus on the past and see the future as less attractive.

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Overview

🔼Topic:: Mindset (MOC) ↩️Origin:: 🔗Link::