optimist or pessimist?

[isus]

are you an optimist, pessimist, or do you go between the 2?

i go between the 2.

[notbob]

depends on the situation

if there is a meteor just entering the atmosphere, i may have a more positive attitude

if there's an asteroid 5 feet above me and closing fast, i may tend to be pessimistic

[grab_grab_the_haddock]

i am definately an optimist.

it is a way of life for me to see the best in everyone, and to offer as much encouragement as possible to my fellow beings on this long and wonderful journey called life.

I think life is a gift which is there to be enjoyed to the utmost and my prediction for the human race is peace on earth and goodwill to all men.

my philosophy of life is do unto others as you would have done unto you, and i treat everyone with whom i come into contact with the utmost respect.

And yes the glass is half full.

[wingnut2600]

I am a very positive human being... I have a very strong belief that humans are far better than they appear to be as a society and that individuals need no moral compass to do right.

I assume that all will turn out well in the end. We are all lucky that we have this brief, random opportunity to live on this lovely planet and interact with such wonderful human beings.

I follow the general tenet that "this too shall pass" when bad things happen, and that things will eventually become better.

[Ken17625]

I'm a pessimist about some facets of life, and optimistic about others.

A negative attitude toward something is not always pessimistic; as can be the case when being negative about an injustice or anothers negative.

Its all a matter of opinion on what is pessimistic and what is not.


Overall though, I carry a positive attitude.

[Dark Messenger]

Originally posted by notbob
depends on the situation

if there is a meteor just entering the atmosphere, i may have a more positive attitude

if there's an asteroid 5 feet above me and closing fast, i may tend to be pessimistic

hehe great post, notbob :goodjob

:gj

[metale]

Originally posted by notbob
depends on the situation

if there is a meteor just entering the atmosphere, i may have a more positive attitude

if there's an asteroid 5 feet above me and closing fast, i may tend to be pessimistic
ahahahha lol.

Yeah, it depends of what are we talking about.

[DeweyBear]

I'm a realist, although I tend to lean towards pessimism at times. I believe in calling a spade a spade. There's no need to sugarcoat things. Both good and bad things happens everyday; that's no reason to be all gloom and doom or to attempt to find a speck of good in a horrible situation.

[method77]

Whoever didn't vote for "switches between the two" is a liar!

[Potato]

Depends really on the situation. Like notbob said.

I'd like to think that I see things for how they are, but then someone always comes along and points something out to me that I wouldn't have noticed on my own. Gives me a new perspective... usually a more positive one.

Maybe that means I'm more pessimistic than optimistic.

The glass... it's just half.

[Ken17625]

Actually the glass is empty.........................


Hey! I was thirsty!

[matstao]

In general, I am a certified, crotchety-old-man, worst-case-scenario pessimist. I prefer to categorize it as realistic thinking. Half empty & half full are the same boring thing.

Here at ZP I've noticed that my posts seem to be somewhat more positive. Perhaps it's the result of too much proof-reading.

[wonderboy2005]

as the saying goes, "the pessimist says the glass is half empty. the optimist says its half full. the engineer says the glass is twice the size it should be." i guess if i go by that saying, im most like the engineer. i dont particularly like to label things a s good or bad, but rather i like to ask why.

[tackdaddy]

i'm a pessimist,the way i see it is if you never look for the best to happen the you will never be let down,but when somthing good happens it is even better because you did'nt expect it to happen.

[CompuGeek]

I'm a realist like matstao.

Shit happens and no one cares about the glass.

<unrelated social commentary>

Also, the average intelligence of the general public is inversely proportional to population density.

Legislative system sucks too. Any lobbyist with enough money can have the law written in their favor (e.g., **IAA).

</unrelated social commentary>

All hope is not lost, I just like to complain; that's the fun part of being a pessimist.

Addendum: I agree with tackdaddy. For pessimists, whenever anything good happens it's a nice surprise.

[gomonkeygo]

half empty or half full?
its twice as big as it needs to be.
anyway it isnt technically empty. see there is half water and half air in that glass. and even if the air was somehow taken out the water would then be under less pressure and would vaporise.

[reg]

... usually optimistic ... try to be optimistic. try to find something, anything, positive when things don't go the way i hope ... try to focus on the beautiful roses instead of the thorns. looking at things from a different perspective usually gives opportunity to experience what might not be experienced otherwise ... "i will love the light for it shows me the way, yet i will endure the darkness for it shows me the stars."

[CTC Command]

I am generally optimistic about things, but pessimism is a difficult habit to break. In a just world, optimism would be be the order of the day for anyone who is not in deep psychosis, but in the real world, experience has taught me some bitter lessons. Acceptance of those circumstances I am presently powerless to change is the key. Acceptance of negativity and injustice doesn't necessarily make me pessimist, but a realist. Wallowing in pessimism (and her evil twin sister, self-pity) rarely lead to constructive change, however, nor does it mean I will just sit idly by while events run roughshod over me. It is a fine line I walk, between being a doormat and an asshole, but the more I practice walking finely the less difficult it has become.

No Bodhisattva here, just some sober musings...

[Lamourlady]

u may not believe this, but i am an optimist.

[nasrules]

Lol grab_grab now that is seriously hard to believe!!! I think we can all guess what notbob's answer will be.

I switch between the two, depending on who I'm with. If I'm with pessimistic people I'll be optimistic, and if with optimisitc people the opposite.

[aqlo]

(story from Crowley)

Some researchers put a bottle of whiskey that really was exactly 50% of capacity by the best scientific standards of the time in a small room. Then they sent in a sample of the population (UK) with instructions to report exactly what they found or noticed there.

First they sent in a dour, bitter old scotsman, who reported back immediately that "she's already half empty, ya buggers"

Then they sent in a cheerful young irishman, who returned with the word that "the bottle's still half full!"

Finally they sent in a practical, well-educated Englishman, who did not return immediately. When he did finally come out, he said "it'sh an empty whishky bo'l" before passing out on the floor.

[vipp]

It depends on whether my glass is half empty or half full at the time. :wings

[FrozenShadow23]

I have to say that i am usually pessimistic but occasionally optimistic, i'll call this Realistic Hope. I do not believe in the wholesomeness of humans as a whole. I believe that many would steal from their own mothers and kill anyone for the chance to achieve the capitalist's dream (riches and glory). I carry a great distatste for my governemt's antics (I live in the US) and their propaganda that they use to trample civil liberties and human rights. But I also try to think possitivly, I think that this whole p2p thing will eventually be resolved in a good way. I believe that that time heals all, if something bad stands long enough, it will be overrun (I hope). "time heals all, but what heals time?" -no heckin' clue who said that, but it's cool huh?

[Kyle06]

me an optimist if it is the same meaning as i think...

[MoonMan]

Depends on the situation like notbob stated. If I'm waiting to be executed then I will probably have a pessimistic attitude. On the other hand, most times when I wake up I tend to try and keep an optimistic attitude... that way if something goes wrong, it doesn't sour the rest of my day (sometimes though, depression beats me and takes over in which case I'm gloomy for the rest of the day/week).

[Fizerani]

I've voted. And you all have been duly noted.

[Induna]

So what we've learned here is that people can't be optimistic or pessimistic by nature, but only determined by circumstance?

Rendering this discussion pointless.

[rainbowdemon]

I think that there is a positive side to most situations. It's just not always obvious.:wings