Optimist

I consider myself an optimist. I complain about common daily issues and annoyances just like everyone else, but overall I believe the future will be good. This has hopefully been obvious in my previous postings as I've countered the "bad-news-loving" media on many issues. In this regard, I believe that there are three types of people: 1) Optimists 2) Pessimists and 3) Realists. There are problems with each type. For instance, optimists can become naive, pessimists can become depressed or cynical, and realists, well I don't really think they exist. You'd have to strike a perfect balance between optimist and pessimist and be unemotional about future outcomes.

Anyway, as I see it, why not be optimistic about the future? Naiveté can occur, but you'll learn from your mistakes, whereas a pessimist wouldn't even bother trying in the first place. Being pessimistic is emotionally draining and can deprive you of opportunities. That's not to say that being an optimist doesn't take effort though. Sure it does, but you'll be rewarded much more often in life for that effort.

I bring this up because every single day people hear bad news about something in the world. Let's take an imaginary person named Joe as an example: Joe has an ordinary American life. He owns a home, has a job, is married, and is satisfied. Lately, he's been reading a lot of news. Issues such as troubled mortgage companies, high fuel prices and inflation have made him slightly depressed. He gets anxiety when filling up his car or at the grocery line. He's concerned about health costs rising for him and his wife, especially as they get older. He worries about his retirement (he's 50) and providing financial help to his soon-to-be grandchild if something were to happen to his daughter and son-in-law. However, oddly enough, he used to not think about such things, at least not like this. But, it's in his face everyday with the local news on in the morning, the newspaper at work, and the nightly news or CNN/Foxnews in the evening. He feels like he could lose it all in the blink of an eye.

Now, lets turn this into a statistical case using the Gallup Poll and the US Census Bureau and see what happens. In this case Joe still has his health, still has his home, still has his wife, still has his daughter, his grandchild will be born healthy, he will buy all the groceries he needs, and he will feel satisfied with his life. Of course, everyone has problems, but I'm trying to demonstrate that the truly important fundamentals of our lives are (statistically speaking) there for us. I can't imagine the horrific pain of losing a loved-one or living in abject poverty and I completely understand that this is a reality for millions of people, but the stats show a remarkably different picture of the average American than what the media reports. So once again, statistically speaking, it makes more sense to be optimistic than pessimistic. You may call this simplistic logic, but by living in this great country of ours we have remarkable control over our lives, and thus we have the power to achieve great things. Not to be selfish here, but does a "troubled" mortgage company affect your daily life? Have you started eating bread and water for dinner because of inflation? It's just so easy to point out all the bad things, yet few seem to want to do the opposite.

I'll leave you with some good news:

-The world is getting happier, according to a study.
-Mailman dives into lake to save girl.
-Dog returns home after five years and 850 mile journey.
-Walmart to eliminate wood from illegal and unknown places.
-Boy, who finds wedding rings in toilet, tracks down owners.
-Bush names first female Four Star General.
-Drinking coffee may lead to a longer life.
-Highway deaths are down in 35 states.

One more thing. Watch this video, I promise that it will make you happy :-)