Glass half full?

[theletch1]

In another thread one of our members was lamenting that the world was going to hell in a hand basket, especially as it's the end of the year holiday season and folks are acting like animals. Our esteemed colleague, Lisa, pointed out that a change in outlook could help soothe his aching heart. I'm a glass is half full kinda guy and attempt to look for the bright side of things or to accept the bad by reminding myself how lucky I am to have the life that I live. Are you a generally optimistic person? Have you changed your outlook at some point in life? Why?

 

[Sukerkin]

Hard to know which option to pick for the poll. My outlook has most often been "Expect the worst but hope for the best". Since my accident tho' I do find that I am much more often overtaken by a lack of hope about the 'big things' that affect us all.

I've talked myself into picking the third poll option I think .

EDIT: To elaborate, I don't know if my greater pessimism is truly a consequence the injuries resulting from my bike accident or that I am simply older and see the world in a starker light than I used to.

 

[terryl965]

Well since I am the one with the deem view here, let me chime in I am a positive person for the most part. I like to believe I see the glass as half full, but when people get killed over a holiday sale it is hard to believe society see's it this way. I have been lucky for the most part for most of my life until the last couple of years, mhealth issue and accountant running off with money. Then there is this heavy rush for the holidays where people forget about good will toward all people and just think about themself. I have three wondeful boys that I would like to grow up with the ideal that helping and caring is a top quality of society. How can this be when a sale item is worth mor ethan someone life. I am sorry if my glass has been darken by circunstances ove rthe couple of years, for those that I have made feel uncomfitable I am truely soory for those that feel the same way I feel even sorry for. It has been hard for me to see what I am becoming, but maybe one day I can fogive myself and society.

I do try and help where I can like the homeless shelter and mission Arlington on a weekly basis and zi have faith that God wil be there to see me though this.

 

[Lisa]

Half Full, I think I always have been that way. Didn't have a great upbringing but somehow I managed to be able to look at the good things.

Live, Love and Laugh ~ Do all of these with the greatest amount of effort.

I am one lucky lady. My husband loves me. I have a great relationship with both my girls, they are awesome human beings and the friends I do have help me have a solid foundation in life.

Things don't always go my way. Yes, I hear things on TV/Radio etc. that make me shake my head and feel horrible. However, when asked by my kids about it I always am frank and to the point and then I always end with:

"Remember someone else has it a lot harder then you do, be thankful"

It works for me.

 

[MA-Caver]

I'm the one who voted for this one... who left this damn glass sitting out in the first place because it's what this world needs... more people to clean up after themselves... :uhyeah:

Optimistic or pessimistic depends largely upon my mood. Like Mark, being older and wiser one does tend to be pessimistic but it's choosing to look at it that way or not.
I posted the gun battle at Toys R Us not because it's highlighting another horrible trend in our society's downward spiral. But to increase awareness that we have to be watchful and keep our guards up even while having a good time. It's possible to enjoy yourself out there and still keep a keen eye out for trouble.

I try to find the good in a lot of things and people. I've learned that there is a bit of good in the worse of us and a bit of bad in the best of us but it's the good that's in ME that should matter the most because it's what I'm presenting to others when I meet them.

 

[seasoned]

Half full, that way there is always room to grow. Too much TV and radio will taint anyone’s outlook on life. Martial arts teaches us many things, one is to take things as they come with an open mind. That way our options are many, works in self defense, also in life.

 

[Jade Tigress]

I've always been an optimistic person, though I did vote for the third option. While I'm still by nature optimistic, I've had too many people take my half full glass of water and poor it down the drain.

That doesn't mean I've turned from optimistic to pessimistic, I think those things are just part of who we are and we will always naturally tend toward one over the other, I have however started to view the glass a bit differently.

 

[MBuzzy]

I'm an engineer - someone made the glass too big.

 

[girlbug2]

I'm a mom; the fourth option was irresistable!

In my growing up years I was always a "half empty" type but now it fluctuates more. I have my pessimistic days and also my optimistic days. Weirdly the opposite of Sukerin, I am more optimistic over the larger life issues and pessimistic over petty everyday stuff.

 

[JadecloudAlchemist]

I do not see the world half full or half empty. I try not to let emotion cloud my view of what is in front of me.

Example: If the walls are caving in on you it does not matter how optimistic or pessimistic you are the reality of the walls still caving in is still present. Controling your emotional view can allow you to accept and percieve things as they really are and not thru the eyes of what you think they are.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

I am an incredibly optimistic person who tries to create situations where the outlook will be positive!

 

[jks9199]

Not an easy answer...

I don't worry about what I can't control. (Or at least I try not to.) I prepare for the worst case scenario, hope for the best case, and expect something in the middle...

 

[morph4me]

I see half a glass, half full or half empty doesn't really come into the picture, it's both. I like the balance of half a glass, it provides options, and I like options.

 

[chrispillertkd]

I'm a glass is half-empty kind of guy when it comes to the world at large. With the continuing exportation of western culture (or what's left of it) and it's continuing slide into the tyranny of relativism I see no reason why the general state of the world will improve.

For my own personal life the glass is half-full, close to overflowing, in fact. I have an incredible wife, beautiful children, great friends, and a phenomenal Taekwon-Do instructor. There is absolutely no reason why I should have these things, I've just been blessed beyond measure.

I'm certainly no optimist. But I am hopeful, and there's a difference. Besides, as I heard a priest once say, "If you go through life being a little bit of a pessimist you're always pleasantly surprised at how things work out." That man is a genius. And a saint.

Pax,

Chris

 

[rhn_kenpo]

"World is going to hell" threads are a staple on all message boards. Usually connected to some contemporary tragic event reported in the media.

Understandable given that tragic events always stir the emotions, but IMHO not accurate in terms of broader trends in society. I can't think of a better time to be alive than today....for the vast vast majority of the world's population. Life expectancy, information access, political freedom, educational opportunity, merit based reward systems, travel and entertainment opportunities are all objectively 'better' today than at any time on the world's history.

I'm always curious, if you think the US/world is 'going to hell', at what time in history would you have preferred to live and in what way(s) would that have been superior to today?

R

 

[Sukerkin]

An interesting point of view, rhn but not exactly what the OP is targeted at I think. It's more about our individual characteristics of optimism and pessimism rather than whether the world is going to hell in a hand-cart {which it is by the way :lol:}.

I'm guessing that the general drift of your post above means you fall into the "Optimism" camp?

 

[myusername]

I'm a glass is half empty kind of guy! I believe if I have a pint of beer and I have drunk half of it, it is then half empty because at one time it was full. Doesn't mean that I wont enjoy the rest of my beer, I might even slow down the sips and savour it, especially if it is the last one before closing time! All good things come to an end and everyone you know will die! Enjoy it whilst you can!

Also it depends what is in the glass! If the glass contains cat sick then saying the glass is half empty doesn't make me a negative old so and so! In fact it's rather positive! It means I've only got half a glass of cat sick to go!

I don't know if my thoughts on this make sound optimistic or pessimistic!

 

[JadecloudAlchemist]

I had someone tell me once that a thirsty man does not care about amount in glass just drinks it.

Meaning accepting things regardless. Not good not bad just is.

 

[hkfuie]

Oh, I could go on and on! I think it's funny that when the answers popped up after I placed mine, there were 4 half fulls and 4 half empties. Just about right, eh?

I have enjoyed laughing out loud at some of your posts, and thinking about others. Every post has given me one or the other response.

I used to be a glass half empty sort, though I hated to admit it at the time. I had a group of people around me that were pouring out my glass as fast as I could fill it. At one point I stopped filling it.

As someone's signature advises, I changed the people around me.

At some point I realized what a great number of unrelated forces seems to have put me on this planet with the ability to percieve and act and I just feel lucky to exist, especially in the life I have where I do have enough. I just try to make every day the best and enjoy it.

There will always be terrible things, sad things, etc. I have spent enough of my life feeling bad about it. I have to let that stuff be. Like Terry1965 said, I do what I can about it. I have to accept that that will always be a part of the world. I can't help but feel sad about that, but as a coulpe other people said, what is, is.

I view my experience of having my water poured out [too bad it wasn't cat vomit... ] as being necessary for me to experience growth. From that "bad" experience I have learned to grab life by the shoulders and plant a big, juicy kiss right on its lips. Good or bad, I have to persevere. At the worst places in my life I have always been able to find one kind person. I have to hope that when difficult things happen to others, they will find their way to peace.

Unfortunately for the person who was trampled, there is no more finding. Who nkows what happens after death? People console themselves with, "He's in a better place." I hope so. Some people think every experience we have in life is meant for us. Maybe...

I guess long story short: I hope I can accept what is.