Optimism and pessimism

Nicole-Anne Boyer has written an eloquent piece on optimism and pessimism at WorldChanging. It's worth reading the whole thing because it really captures the essence of how and why people are obsessed with the world going to hell in a handbasket.

Is it? Well, not really. A recent report indicates that armed conflict, and particularly very violent armed conflict, has been greatly reduced in the time period since the dissolution of the two-superpower world. One reason is likely to be the sustained and positive efforts of global institutions such as the UN.

Boyer then discusses in detail the psychological reactions to this report, which are rooted in our cultural mindsets and cognitive biases. In particular, the idea of decline looms large in many people's minds, and casts a tinge on everything they see. Some people have dismissed the study's results as too difficult to believe, or generally flaky, or too dangerous because they might lead to complacency.

Especially interesting is her discussion of the perceived intellectual fluffiness of optimism. Positive thinking is equated with Polyannish-ness, naivety, and blindness to the reality of world problems. Check your mindset-- do you believe this? You might want to read Boyer's essay.

In her words,

Whether it's amongst the intelligentsia or with friends at a cocktail party, positive interpretations of the human condition are considered "un-intellectual" and "not serious" irrespective of the facts at hand. We are socialized to think that Pollyanna's are mental pansies at best, or just plain foolish. It's just cooler, and easier, to be the dark brooding type deconstructing our reality, instead of offering something more generative.

Then she points out that optimism can be seen several ways:

I prefer how the Chinese have defined optimism with two related but different words. The first word is more akin to the English definition; it's a naive hope for a better future regardless of the reality of the situation. The second word means looking at the reality of a situation as clearly as possible, and even if it is grim, and still be hopeful and open to possibilities. It's this that we need more of.

[...] as responsible change-makers in the 21st century, I think we need to forget this simple negative-positive, optimism-pessimism divide. We to recapture some of the pre-modern "mysterious duality" that drove the insight of our most cherished artists. We need to borrow that Chinese definition of optimism, a concept that lets us live in the shadow of the lightness and darkness of our situation, the ambiguity within us and around us, even though this is discomforting...

Well said.

And if you still prefer the "dark" mindset, it is possible to state these same ideas from a position of discomfort. I recommend this moving essay by Zaid Hassan. Note that he is actually embracing the world, taking the unhappiness into himself and processing it. Beautiful.