The progressive movements throughout time can be profoundly expressed through the eyes of the optimistic. The persistent world view that interprets situations and events as being simply the best is not just a mental attitude, but a type of character which cannot be changed. One can argue that an optimistic person will be sanguine nearly in every burdensome situation in order to try to find something positive in it. Without optimism, of course, the world would never be so colorful and different; there would be no inventions, masterpieces of art, or graceful architecture. With the disappearance of the outlook of positive beliefs and standards, finding the strength to push through to the bright side is as heavy as hundreds of bricks resting on …show more content…
However, everything that is lovely and delightful in this world exists alongside pain and loss; optimism is a conscious selective focus on the good.
Optimism gives us energy; optimism is a surge of power that takes over our being. It makes our efforts feel worthwhile. Optimism is the light that rushes through our veins that allows us to feel the love after a lifetime of pain. In the end it is rewarded because even though some of these efforts will fail, others will succeed, and we cannot know ahead of time which are which. Even though there is no guarantee when it comes to which direction and path our lives will take us, the risk and fear of the unknown either makes or breaks the barrier of success for each individual. Sure, disasters and tragedies have the ability to permanently affect your life, but will you let the negativity consume your entire being in order to avoid the struggles of persisting through the hardships? Some tend to neglect the confrontation of those internal fights, but the people who strive to attack problems with confidence and faith show genuine signs of optimism, “optimistic people believe that negative events are temporary, limited in scope (instead of pervading every aspect of a person’s life), and
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Or would the pessimism of only a few individuals take over and halt the success of the full group? Having successful experiences is a way to create a feeling of positive possibilities. Nevertheless, optimism is much more than gratification from instant success, “People who are generally grateful report being more agreeable and less narcissistic compared with less grateful people” (Desan 5). An optimistic attitude allows society to persevere when facing challenges. It is important to process the emotions, not deny them, but then suggest alternative ways to look at the situation and what can be done to improve it. In today’s society, especially in the community that I have personally grown up in, it feels as if everyone tries to force individualism through tough competition and enforcing inferiority or superiority complexes. With this being said, I am addressing the idea that the “every man for himself” motto is reigning clear in today’s society; we have lost the drive to help others even if we gain no real benefits from doing so. Once society realizes that joining each other hand in hand to attack challenges brings ease and security to the community, we can then move on from the desolate survival of pessimism and thrive in a world of comfort and peace, “Feels of gratitude are associated with increased feelings of closeness and a desire to build
Ever hear one say, “Sometimes I’m busy making others happy, that I forget to make sure I’m okay.”? After reading Barbara Ehrenreich’s Bright-Sided I have learned that balancing both positive and negative thinking is the single most important life lesson shown throughout the book. Ehrenreich tells readers that the power of positive thinking Is undermining America and how being too positive and too optimistic, can lead to trouble. One that knows how to balance the amount of positivity and negativity will create a proper outcome for their future.
There’s optimism in all literature known to man if not optimism then it would be pessimism. They are the basis of any literature work. It’s found in many books and poems today. In the novel Fahrenheit451 by Ray Bradbury evaluates the theme of optimism. The author Ray Bradbury writes about a guy named Montag who is in a society where firemen burn houses instead of putting fires out. Montag seeks out the good in the books which are banned in this dystopian society where knowledge is forbidden to rise from society. He and other literature seekers pave the way for him to learn knowledge and the freedom of thinking which is against the law in this society. Montag falls in love with books so much that he tries to find someone who can teach him about the books and how important they are to life. The world would fall apart without knowledge no one would have a clue on what to do or how to eat since they don’t have that knowledge at hand. Optimism can also be found in the William Ernest Henley’s “Invictus”, Freedom to Breathe” by Alexander Solzheitsynand and in the speech “The Nobel acceptance by Elie Wiesel.
...too optimistic can result in sadness and despair. Optimism also has the power to blind us from seeing the harsh and cruel realities in life. Optimists focus exclusively on the bright side of life and tend to avoid all the cruel realities. However, when the time comes to face a harsh reality, optimists are unprepared and fail. Wiesel makes this argument to show us the negative effects of optimism. For example, the belief that drinking and driving or speeding is not going to end fatally. Optimists have the mindset of “death is something that happens to others.” Drinking and driving and speeding blind the driver from realizing there is a possibility of death. These optimistic people are the most likely to die due to the fact that they are not aware of this possibilities. Wiesel would agree that optimism is the madness of insisting that all is well when we are miserable.
It is the challenges we face that make it look dark and gloomy. The key to a productive existence is not the emotions we feel when presented with adversity, but in our ability to overcome, grow and evolve. In comparison, examine the Spoken Indian searching for hope in hardships, or the extraordinary taste and smell of the wine connoisseur who lacks sight. See the trial & errors or the young man growing to love both parents, and the college student whose heart is blistering with pain from the loss of his mother, but finds healing in his new home as an emerging scholar. We are all exploring methods to handle
Optimism is a hopefulness for the future. People who are optimistic generally expect the best from situations. Overall, optimists tend to be healthier than pessimists. Optimism can aid in maintenance of psychological health when faced with physical health problems. This claim is evident with Bob Salvini in the Young at Heart film. Bob, having looked death in the eyes multiple times, managed to pull through when the odds were against him. Bobs strong will and optimism for live and his situation helped him live happily for as long as he did, before he unfortunately died in May of 2006. While still in the ICU, Bob stayed positive and was determined to make the show in less than three weeks. Sadly, Bob passed away the night before the show (Walker & George,
Optimism was attractive to many because it answered a profound philosophical question that mankind had been grappling with since the beginning of faith: if God is omnipotent and benevolent, then why is there so much evil in the world? Optimism provides an easy way out of this philosophical dilemma: God has made everything for the best, and even though one might experience personal misfortune, God (via your misfortune) is still helping the greater good.
There have been opposing views about whether positive aspects do appear in a negative situation. Some people give up easily when they face obstacles, but there are some people who stay optimistic and keep going, flexibly improvise on the situation,
While the notion of optimism is seldom brought to attention on a daily basis, it is actually an integral part of the human experience, even among those who claim to be particularly rational. In fact, it serves as a sort of Chicken Soup for the Soul, for society. Of course, rather than being a series of inspirational books, optimism quite literally gives off the comfort of warm soup on a cold and dreary day- wafting in the possibility of hope and the sentiment that this is the “best of all possible worlds.” It is this comfort that people cling to in times of strife, be it a death of a loved one, or even something as typical as a missed bus. The prevalence of optimism began in 1710, when Gottfried Leibniz asserted that the actual world was as
Merriam -Webster defines hope as “a desire accompanied by expectation or belief in fulfillment.” I see hope as neither polished nor refined. Hope sometimes is misunderstood as a characteristic that has to do with religion; however, hope is used in more than just a religious sense. Although hope is not a physical attribute, one can easily see the physical appearance of the person change, who has hope. Hope fuels desire to not give up, it provokes a positive outlook on the future, and makes way for change.
Optimism was an attractive to many because it answered a profound philosophical question: if God is omnipotent and benevolent, then why is there so much evil in the world? Optimism provides an easy way out: God has made everything for the best, and even though one might experience personal misfortune, God (via your misfortune) is still helping the greater good.
Another instance in which optimism is used as a defense for a bad event that took place is in chapter 22. “‘I have seen the worst,’ Candide replied. ‘But a wise man, who since has had the misfortune to be hanged, taught me that all is marvellously well; these are but the shadows on a beautiful picture.’ ‘Your hanged man mocked the world,’ said Martin. ‘The shadows are horrible blots.’ Candide is so persistent in believing Pangloss’ philosophy despite the fact that there is so much evidence to prove how his philosophy is nonsense. Although there are time in the book when Candide doubts Pangloss’ philosophy. “‘Oh, Pangloss!’ cried Candide, ‘thou hadst not guessed at this abomination; it is the end. I must at last renounce thy optimism.’ ‘What is this optimism?’ said Cacambo. ‘Alas!’ said Candide, ‘it is the madness of maintaining that everything is right when it is wrong.’” Candide refuses to abide by Pangloss’ philosophy because he realizes that it is crazy to try and believe that everything is ok when in reality it is not. 2 of the quotes above show how Candide and Pangloss remain optimistic in times of despair and 1 of the quotes shows the disappointment from discovering that being optimistic is not as great as it
Firstly, people who show an optimism bias feel more happy and satisfied with their life. These people are also more in control of and engaged in their life’s goal, they will not just think about happy thoughts and wait for life to pass, instead they will be engaged in a meaningful life and do whatever it takes to accomplish their goals. They are also less likely to give up on a difficult situation and will cope with it. These are people who will not wait for the rain to pass but who learn to dance in the rain in order to fulfil their life’s goal. Unrealistic optimism shows an increased well-being and happiness. With this increased well-being, unrealistically optimistic people are also more able to pick themselves up after a major life
Our lives are infused with pain and suffering. Some people experience more of these regrettable symptoms of the human condition than others. Yet, we can overcome hardship with hope. Hope provides us with strength to conquer misery and despair, caused by misfortune, perhaps an unforeseen job loss when on a Friday afternoon, after you’ve worked long hours on a project, your boss, calling your into his office, sitting you down, saying, “Your fired.”
I believe that happiness is the key to living a good and prosperous life. Through all of the sadness and hate in the world, happiness gives me hope. It gives not only me, but others hope and joy. Happiness gives us something to hold onto, therefore we cherish it as much as we can.
These phycologists have wondered if there are more optimist or pessimists in the world. They have made an attempt to find out what approach is greater or better. There are some advantages to optimism because it makes people feel better about life, however, there are also some advantages to pessimism in that looking at the unfortunate side of things can help some pessimists cope better with the world. Both optimism and pessimism have important roles to play the lives of everybody. Being optimist permits people to go after their goals in a positive way, to dream bigger and better dreams, which they can strive to work towards. Optimist also tend to respond better to positive feedback, and a part of being an optimist may be producing this feedback for themselves, example, thinking positive thoughts. While on the other hand, being pessimistic may help people to better acknowledge negative feedback and reduce their natural anxiety to perform better. Once again, part of the reason why pessimist generates negative thoughts is that it helps them perform a lot better. People tend to utilize both optimism and pessimism in order for them gain out of their advantages. People who are mainly concerned with growth or advancement often manifest an optimistic view, whereas those who are concerned with safety and security, or avoiding negative outcomes, focus more on pessimism in order to improve their