I want to hear from the optimists, pessimists and everyone in between: how do you keep yourself in check from delusion? Do you credit the good and bad things to your “ism”?
Thank you for this video! You can identify yourself as optimist because you have been like this in your life. For some who did not experience these identities early in life, it is hard to identify as pessimist, skeptic or cynic or even optimist. I was neither if them before in childhood. But, now I feel I am moving towards between skeptic and pessimist about some topics. I am quite optimistic about being able to lose weight and build 6 pack, but I am not optimistic on the world peace for example. By the way , you did not mention how to know the line between optimism and being delusional?
That’s a good point. When I talk about my own optimism, it usually contained to my small place in the world. As a broader world, I’d say I’m optimistic that it’ll work out okay in the long run, even if I’m skeptical about how things are going or will go in the short term. As for the the fine line between optimism and delusion, for me I think the problem is you never know until it’s over. When things work out, it’s seen as good/ the optimism helped. When they don’t, that’s the only time you realize you might have been delusional. Or, in my case I sometimes still keep assuming if I just wait a little longer, I’ll realize it did work out as it needed to. It’s a little bit like the saying “history is written by the victors”, meaning if you’re an optimist, right or wrong, you’ll tend to tell the experience as something positive. “It wasn’t a failure because I learned X or because Y came out of it”. So I kind of question if I’d ever admit delusion…
I want to hear from the optimists, pessimists and everyone in between: how do you keep yourself in check from delusion? Do you credit the good and bad things to your “ism”?
Thank you for this video! You can identify yourself as optimist because you have been like this in your life. For some who did not experience these identities early in life, it is hard to identify as pessimist, skeptic or cynic or even optimist. I was neither if them before in childhood. But, now I feel I am moving towards between skeptic and pessimist about some topics. I am quite optimistic about being able to lose weight and build 6 pack, but I am not optimistic on the world peace for example. By the way , you did not mention how to know the line between optimism and being delusional?
That’s a good point. When I talk about my own optimism, it usually contained to my
small place in the world. As a broader world, I’d say I’m optimistic that it’ll work out okay in the long run, even if I’m skeptical about how things are going or will go in the short term. As for the the fine line between optimism and delusion, for me I think the problem is you never know until it’s over. When things work out, it’s seen as good/ the optimism helped. When they don’t, that’s the only time you realize you might have been delusional. Or, in my case I sometimes still keep assuming if I just wait a little longer, I’ll realize it did work out as it needed to. It’s a little bit like the saying “history is written by the victors”, meaning if you’re an optimist, right or wrong, you’ll tend to tell the experience as something positive. “It wasn’t a failure because I learned X or because Y came out of it”. So I kind of question if I’d ever admit delusion…