Optimists vs Pessimists

[JP226]

I'm just, how many are naturally optimists versus pessimists on this board. Now i know everyone wants to be an optimists/ glass have full kinda person, but i'm asking what are you really. Try to be honest. Do you see the world as every day is a great day or we're on our way to hell in a hand basket?

Personnaly i've had some rough times. Parents were divorced when I was young, literally had a con man running from the fricken cuban mafia take advantage. And let's just say for some time things weren't peachy. I've honestly lived at the lowest levels of society and been at the highest. I personnally know presidents and bikers, economists and cons. I've come into contact with people and been places most will never meet/ see in their life time. I've been an F student and an A student. My own family has for a time used food stamps. But through all this crap, and that's what it is pure and simple, i've remained optimistic. I knew things would get better and they did. I'm on the verge of success honestly. I'm about to reach my goal and this is all before 25. Maybe it's bcause i'm genuinely optimistic and completely understand that "things" are positive and they will get better.

So I ask how many of you are optimistic?

[Bwaho]

I'm one of those who want to be optimistic but is usually pessimistic. I think I have the right to partly blame my parents for that. They have always been incredible pessimists and I think that has affected me... at least in my earlier years.

but the fact that I want to look at things on the bright side might be a sign of optimism?

edit:

you see the world as every day is a great day or we're on our way to hell in a hand basket?

I always tell myself "things will be alright"

[Narakir]

If I say "it can't be worse than it is, so let's go in this ****" every morning am I optimistic ?

[Tom Paine]

I just realised. I characterise myself as pessimistic a lot but, when it comes down to it, I seem to be an eternal optimist. I don't know why (especially given that I am also depressed...) but I am an optimist. Well, I am if it doesn't relate to me, anyway. A little odd as a situation, in the end. I find myself heading "to heck in a handbasket" but the world I see as improving daily. Wierd.

[Kaznecki]

I'm not a pessimist or an optimist.. I'm a realist..

[Tacticalwithdrawal]

I'm not a pessimist or an optimist.. I'm a realist..

a realist is just someone an optimist calls a pessimist

[Kaznecki]

a realist is just someone an optimist calls a pessimist

actually, if I had to choose, I'm a pessimist just because much of my realist ideas/situations seem to side as pessimism.

ponder this... lets say you have a very rare and terminal illness that their is no cure or treatment for. Would you rather be hopeful despite knowing you will die or just except the fact that there is no chance of survival? Of course, if their is a small chance to live, I would be hopeful...to a point...

[Confederate Soldier]

I'm an Pessimist person. I never really see things as going well. Like for one I have an glass of Code Red Mountain Dew and its half empty. There is the one were I shattered my ankle playing B-ball in high school. Everyone was telling me I did not break my ankle, and I kept telling them it was broken. So yea I "walked it of" And came to find out it was shattered. My entire damn ankle was broken. But with all this said I'm different then what Dzoavits is. When people are around me they normally seem to have an blast. Even when the news is on. I just have a way of twisting the words people say and make them sound funny. Here recently my one friend got scared because of the "World ending" I just tolled him not to worry because the world wont end till my dream comes true. He just thought that was funny as hell and stopped his little worrying. So I guess you can say I expect the worse out of everything but hope for the best.

[Mathias]

I'm not a pessimist or an optimist.. I'm a realist..

Thats what I call myself; a realist.

I might be a pessimistic optimist though, its hard to say so clearly what I am.

[Gaidin]

a realist is just someone an optimist calls a pessimist

to which the realist replies: "It's a friggin glass of water...it doesnt matter!"

[JP226]

i'm an optimist and a realist, i understand realitiscally the current situation, but i realize ultimately thing will and alwaysdo work out

[Kino]

Deleted by user.

[Bovril]

Well, this is a complicated one for me. I'm a psychology student, and as such I'm very aware that research indicates that to achieve the maximum level of hapiness and success a ratio of three positive thoughts for every one negative though is ideal. However, having just recovered from psychotic depression (yeah, I know) I realise that this ideal aint always easy to reach. Positive and negative thinking patterns tend to be self fulfilling, but altering one's tendancy towards one or the other is extremely dificult.
I'm a bit of an idealist, and extremely tollerant (and modest!). I think this is because I tend to see people as essentially out to just be happy, which I regard as an extremely worthwhile and socially beneficial goal, because, given that humans are essentially social animals, hapiness for the individual will entail happiness for those around her/him.

[Bovril]

I think you make an excellent point about the comic (and indeed salutory) value of pessimism. Unfortuneatley this comes at aprice, as is evidenced by the marked predisposition of comedians towards clinical depression.

[Justinian]

I am a pessimist. Humans suck.

[God]

I'm definately, 100% certain, without a doubt maybe an optimist.

Sometimes I feel low, then I think 'why the hell do I feel low?' and become happy again. And here's a smilie to prove it:

What is there to hate about life? I love life.

[Katrina]

I liked your story, you sound like a really strong person which is something i really value in people. I am naturally optomistic too. My life seems to be really good, and compared to many, it is. However, there has been many times where my life is Hell, but i stayed strong through all of it, though i kept to myslef, and to this day i still keep it all to myself, and kept optimistic that there is something better. I am pretty sure that i have found that thing now that is better.

[Tecumseh]

Being a pessimist has an advantage. You never expect much from the world, so when things do turn out bad, you expected it. But if something good does happen, then it's a pleasant surprise.

[Gogoas]

I don't believe anyone is one or the other, it all depends on circumstance.

[ajm317]

I don't believe anyone is one or the other, it all depends on circumstance.

I concur.

People are optimistic or pessimistic based on past experience. When one has nothing but negative experiences in a field, one will be pessimistic, when one has positive ones, then one will be optimistic.

For example, I am optimistic about the world's future. I see potentialy emerging green energy supplies, growth of democracy, and a world without a major war in 50 years with none on the horizon.

I am however pessimistic about my lab equipment. It is broken until proven fixed. I am also pessimistic regarding progress in my lab. When my advisor says "I'm hoping we'll get this done this week" I hear "maybe in March."