The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines pessimism as: “an inclination to emphasize adverse aspects, conditions, and possibilities or to expect the worst possible outcome”. My friend, ‘Merriam’ also says that pessimism is a doctrine; “the doctrine that reality is essentially evil”, and “the doctrine that evil overbalances happiness in life”. Although I find those doctrines rather appalling, they show me that some people have such an inclination to expect the worst, that it can become their way of life. However, I understand the process because I was taught that practicing error long enough eventually becomes doctrine.
Perhaps you know someone who always sees the glass half-empty. Someone who takes a negative view of every situation, who can put a cynical spin even on good news. These folks are pessimistic and generally unhappy. Why? The short answer is that they choose to be so. But we know that there is usually more to the story than short answers.
It is likely that these people may have suffered hardships and disappointments in their lives, maybe multiple times. Their experiences have fostered an attitude of pessimism. It has become easier for them to expect bad things rather than hope for good things and be disappointed. This kind of thinking often starts with an attitude of self-preservation. People feel that they can’t endure any more disappointments, so they build a wall of pessimism around themselves. But unfortunately, that reaps pessimistic results, so they are discouraged and the cycle repeats.
Another cause may be wrong teaching. Someone’s parents or a trusted teacher might have a pessimistic attitude and that influences them. Even some churches teach that adverse happenings in one’s life are necessary for building humility. These ideas can permeate people’s thinking and lead them down a negative path.
Now, let’s look at optimism. The MW dictionary defines optimism as: “an inclination to put the most favorable construction upon actions and events or to anticipate the best possible outcome” and “a doctrine that this world is the best possible world”. Interestingly, optimism is also a doctrine, which means that people can practice it long enough that it becomes their way of life, their doctrine.
Do you know anyone who is optimistic? Are you optimistic? Do you see the glass half-full? Do you have a positive attitude toward life despite its disappointments? Do you expect a favorable outcome in adverse situations? Why? Again, the short answer – because you choose to do so.
Optimistic people experience hardships and disappointments just like pessimistic people but choose a different path to deal with them. They refute the negatives rather than accept them. They expect a positive outcome in spite of discouragement. Their positive expectations produce positive results. And for the most part, they are happy people.
Pessimism and optimism are direct opposites. They oppose each other. Their effects are at opposite ends of the spectrum. Even their definitions contrast one another.
The world is full of opposites – light and dark, good and bad, up and down, yes and no, day and night, the list goes on. I should note that in practice, some of these opposites may mingle. For example, an optimistic person may be pessimistic in a particular situation. A ‘yes’ answer may carry a ‘no’ stipulation in it. Even day and night meet at dusk.
Sometimes opposites fluctuate. We can be up one day and down the next. We can feel good, or we can feel bad. These are not constants. But there are two opposites in life that never mingle and are always constant – the one true God and the devil. God is all light, and the devil is all darkness – they never mix – ever! Light always dispels darkness – always! Even a lit match in a dark room can be easily seen. Think of how tiny fireflies’ lights are. Yet those tiny specks of light dazzle us on warm summer nights.
We Christians live such an interesting dynamic in this day and time. The devil is called the god of this world because he essentially stole that authority from Adam. We are in this world, but we are not of this world and therefore we are not subject to the devil’s rules. Pessimism is one of his rules. We don’t need to be subject to it, but we may be bothered by it. We may find ourselves with pessimistic thoughts from time to time. But the marvelous thing is that we can choose to change those thoughts. With a knowledge of God and His Word, we have the ability to put new and unique thoughts in our minds. Thoughts that are contrary to worldly rules and can override them. Thoughts of what God says.
Now the devil may have the authority to run the place, but God still owns the earth, so there is still inherent goodness in the world. (I Corinthians 10:26). Nature, love, laughter, and music are some examples. Therefore, optimism is present, even for those who don’t know God. People can be optimistic and receive the benefits of their optimism, but the world dissuades it. Have you ever heard the term Pollyanna? It comes from a 1913 novel of the same name by Eleanor H. Porter. The world’s depiction of Pollyanna is “someone who is blindly optimistic about every situation, sometimes to the point of foolishness. The term is typically used in a negative way, to describe someone who cannot think about the more serious ramifications of various situations.” That viewpoint appears to be designed to discourage people from being optimistic. Personally, I don’t know how anyone can be optimistic without being able to cling to the positives of God’s Word, but I guess some are.
Not only is the Bible light and truth, but it is full of edification, exhortation, and comfort. God is aware that we are surrounded by negative worldly influences. He knows that we must battle those influences in our minds every day. So, He calls out to us with words of loving support. He builds us up. He strengthens us with encouragement. He has equipped us with everything we need to win the battle.
As we face all the opposites in the world around us, let’s do our best to choose the positive ones. Let’s seek the goodness of God and refuse to be intimidated by the world’s opposition. in fact, let’s be the opposite of the world. Let’s be totally light and shine in the darkness for all to see.
Note to my readers: Ignore the world and stay optimistic! Thanks for reading!
P.S. I call the Merriam-Webster dictionary, “my friend” because we visit almost every day! We have a close working relationship! 😊