Tag Archive: optimism


Reasons to be hopeful about humankind

Filed under: Books — 1 Comment
June 12, 2020

Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman (Bloomsbury, 2020)

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According to bumper sticker wisdom, a cynic is a disillusioned optimist but Rutger Bregman , the Dutch author of ‘Utopia for Realists’, wants at all costs for us to resist cynical thinking about humankind.

The premise of this ‘hopeful history’ is that humans have been given a bad press and that, far from being selfish, mean and mean-minded they are on the whole actually quite nice.

A large chunk of the blame for humanity’s negative image is laid at the door of the mainstream media who realize that sensational stories about the nastiness and brutishness of people helps sell copies and/or serves as effective click-bait.

Bregman concedes that his views may come as a shock to many and admits that when he initially pitched the idea of the book to a number of publishers they thought he was nuts. Since we know where we stand with cynicism, to argue the contrary is, he acknowledges, “downright threatening, subversive and seditious.” Continue reading →

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Blessed with a dark turn of mind

Filed under: Music — Leave a comment
December 3, 2019
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Gillian Welch – blessed

Mark Twain was on to something when he said that “a pessimist is a well-informed optimist’.

Psychologists will tells you that a negative mindset is defensive posturing to hide some deep-seated vulnerability. It is also said that positivity and good heath go hand in hand . But breaking out of a vicious cycle of cynical thinking is easier said than done.

I have little faith in those glossy magazine articles that are full of superficial lifestyle tips written to order rather than based on actual experience. The abiding message such fluff pieces peddle is that negative thoughts ought to be smothered at birth.

I believe this perceived wisdom is not only wrong but also potentially damaging. How can you look squarely at the world and still be full of idealism and gladness?

Personally, I’d rather be in the company of a confirmed pessimist than a contrived optimist. I identify strongly with Gillian Welch who sang so memorably: “You know some girls are bright as the morning and some girls are blessed with a dark turn of mind”.

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WHY IT’S OK NOT TO BE OPTIMISTIC

Filed under: Blogging — Leave a comment
December 24, 2014

happy sadI’ve let this blog lapse a little of late and my early resolution for 2015 is to post more regularly.

Thanks for those followers and passers-by (whoever you are) for dropping in if only for a brief encounter.

I’m constantly (and often desperately) seeking reasons for optimism and in a period when consumerism is celebrated as though happiness can be bought this is particularly hard.  I was happy therefore to stumble on a moment of Zen here from Eco-philosopher and translator Joanna Macy on how Rainer Maria Rilke can help us embrace our mortality and be more fully alive:

“It’s OK not to be optimistic. …….. feeling that you have to maintain hope can wear you out, so just be present… the biggest gift you can give is to be absolutely present, and when you’re worrying about whether you’re hopeful or hopeless or pessimistic or optimistic, who cares? The main thing is that you’re showing up, that you’re here, and that you’re finding ever more capacity to love this world”.

Season’s greetings to all with the courage to show up!

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