Optimism & Pessimism

First, let us understand a few differences between pessimists and optimists in how they perceive the world.

Pessimists believe that bad events will last a long time, while optimists tend to believe defeat is temporary and bad events are transient in nature. Optimists believe good events have permanent causes and work harder even after they succeed. Pessimists think that good times don't last and lose the motivation to work hard.

While the above thoughts are generally accepted in case of defining optimism and pessimism, in real life, it is slightly more nuanced. Good and bad times are transient in nature. We should not get overly excited with the good times and highly depressed in bad times. A right balance of emotion, where we accept every situation with gratitude and keep working is extremely important.

Admiral Jim Stockdale was the highest-ranking Prisoner of war in the Vietnam war. They tortured him routinely, and at one point he attempted suicide out of fear that he might break and give up sensitive military information. Year after release, Stockdale was asked about the depressing life in prison. He responded: “Well, you have to understand, it was never depressing. Because despite all those circumstances, I never wavered in my absolute faith that not only would I prevail— [I’d] get out of this.”

Pure optimism. But, not really. Stockdale was then asked who had the hardest time in prison. He responded:

Contradicting. Right?

A right mix of optimism and pessimism is needed to survive the harsh realities. Maybe 2020 is again at that time. We need the optimism that we will get through this and the pessimism that the pandemic is part and parcel of our lives for a long time to come.

Reference:

The Big Lessons from History, Collaborative Fund, Nov 2020