I am sure you have encountered “the glass” before.
Now, this glass is unique in the fact that scholars and non-scholars seem to wage a fierce debate over the contents of said glass.
One side says that this proverbial glass is half empty and the opposition adamantly argues that the glass is, in fact, half full.
The pessimists vs the optimists debate.
What’s the small difference between them?
An optimist thinks that this is the best of all possible worlds. A pessimist fears that this so.
The Psychologist Martin Seligman found that when we shift our explanatory style from pessimistic to optimistic it makes us feel better and we become grittier.
Optimists tell themselves that bad events
• are temporary (That happens occasionally, but it’s not a big deal);
• have a specific cause and aren’t universal (When the weather is better that won’t be a problem);
• are not their fault (I’m good at this, but today wasn’t my lucky day).
You become a learned optimist and know that the glass can always be refilled.
And if you are a rational learned optimist who happens to be an investor too you would want to know the name of the glassmaker.
If there is this much interest in that glass, you would want to know who makes it, so that you can invest in that company.
I choose to believe that the future will be better than the past. In a world where far more people wake up in the morning, trying to make the world a better place than wake up thinking we’re all doomed.
We have already come a long way in terms of progress.
Take a peek at these 6 Charts that Show How the World is Improving
What’s your choice? Pessimist or Optimist or Rational Optimist?
“Whether you’re an optimist or a pessimist may or may not affect the outcome. It’s just that the optimist has a better time in life.” — James Borg, author