Optimism #
Optimism is a duty. The future is open. It is not predetermined. No one can predict it, except by chance. We all contribute to determining it by what we do. We are all equally responsible for its success.
- Karl Popper and/or Immanuel Kant
Real progress requires the act of creation, which in turn requires the belief that positive changes are possible, which IMO is a definition of optimism.
It is easy to sit back and point out all the flaws in the world - the creations of others. Sometimes this can be useful because it inspires new creation, but many many people do not have this goal in mind when they do this. Pure “destructive” pessimism rather causes all sorts of problems:
- It fosters a helpless victimhood mindset, which almost by definition can’t lead to productive action.
- It can lead to “burn it down” actions that leave a worse world in their wake. Various political revolutions come to mind.
- It’s socially infectious - others can be convinced to take up the same mindset easily. It is temping to blame the world when things go wrong after all.
See https://publicism.info/science/infinity/10.html for a deep dive on another definition of optimism I like: “The Principle of Optimism: All evils are caused by insufficient knowledge.”.
From Howard Zinn:
To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness. What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places—and there are so many—where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act,and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction. And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.
Categories: Mind
Backlinks: Potential Life Missions, Solving Societal Problems,