Closer to Center
If a pessimist should learn optimism, then would the converse also hold true? Should the optimist learn pessimism?
Our culture holds the trait of optimism in high regard. We like optimists almost as much as we like extraverts. I suspect most of readers will immediately answer that question with a resounding “no.” If an optimist has no need for learning pessimism, then I contend that my goal — learning optimism — also lacks value. In other words, either both sides of the spectrum should learn to adopt some of the opposite thinking, or neither should.
Here’s why I believe my effort to learn a more positive mental bias is worthwhile:
Jesus is the only true realist.
He, being fully divine, was capable of seeing what the future would bring in terms of circumstances. As such, He could address all parties with accuracy. He spoke both encouragement (in John 16:33 Jesus tells them hard things will come but that they should “take heart” ) and warning (see the long list of “woes” in Matthew 23).
No human, apart from the One who is also divine, can rightly discern what coming days will bring. That means we all fall to either the left or right of center (realism). Using the metaphor of a number line, Jesus would sit at 0: neither positive nor negative, perfectly realistic. A pessimist resides on the negative side of the line, while the optimistic counterpart sits on the positive side.
Christlikeness
To mature as a Christian is to have increasing understanding of God and to more fully live out the truth of the gospel, thereby making Him known. One might say that this is to grow more and more like Christ. To be more like Him would include, then, seeing as He does. To be sure, we’ll never do this perfectly. I’ll never be a dead-center realist; I don’t believe it’s possible to be. Those who proclaim themselves as realists I suspect live nearer to zero on the number line than most — but still lean slightly one way or the other. My objective, then, is to move closer to zero.
[Tweet “To grow into a more realistic perspective is part of becoming more Christlike. #thinkonthesethings #write31days #pessimism”]
By adding positive integers (optimism) to my negative spot on the number line, my overall bias is more positive and brings me nearer to center. Similarly, those who are generally on the positive end of the spectrum would add negative integers (pessimism) in order to net out closer to zero.
The caveat, then, is to make sure that we know approximately how far left or right we generally hover. Otherwise, these additions of either positive or negative thinking could overshoot us into the the opposite camp. I know, for example, that I’m not severely negative, so these daily exercises are sufficient for me to open my eyes to see the possibility for good outcomes. Someone who’s more negative might need more significant doses and exercises to learn more optimistic thought. Nor do we want a nearly-centered optimist to swing wildly into negative thinking due to too much exposure to pessimism. The goal is to hover as near zero as possible.
May we learn to use His eyes to see the world around us.
What do you think? Should an optimist “learn” pessimism? I suspect many of you will disagree with me and I’d love to hear your thoughts on why!
This post is part of a 31 day series entitled “Think on these things: Learning optimism.” For a full catalog of all the posts, visit the first page in the series by clicking here.
Hmmm…you’ve got me thinking. I’m definitely an optimist but I also understand pessimism. I’ll have to think about this little more. At first glance at the question, I think you can be both.
Hmmm…you’ve got me thinking. I’m definitely an optimist but I also understand pessimism. I’ll have to think about this little more. At first glance at the question, I think you can be both.
Hmmm…you’ve got me thinking. I’m definitely an optimist but I also understand pessimism. I’ll have to think about this little more. At first glance at the question, I think you can be both.
Hmmm…you’ve got me thinking. I’m definitely an optimist but I also understand pessimism. I’ll have to think about this little more. At first glance at the question, I think you can be both.
Hmmm…you’ve got me thinking. I’m definitely an optimist but I also understand pessimism. I’ll have to think about this little more. At first glance at the question, I think you can be both.
Hmmm…you’ve got me thinking. I’m definitely an optimist but I also understand pessimism. I’ll have to think about this little more. At first glance at the question, I think you can be both.
I hope you’ll come back to share your musings, Tara. It’s been a good exercise for me — pressing me to really distill what I think.
Wow, this is really interesting! I’ve enjoyed reading!!!
Wow, this is really interesting! I’ve enjoyed reading!!!
Wow, this is really interesting! I’ve enjoyed reading!!!
Wow, this is really interesting! I’ve enjoyed reading!!!
Wow, this is really interesting! I’ve enjoyed reading!!!
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