I am an optimist. I just thought I’d get that little disclaimer out of the way from the get go. So obviously, the following will be from my happy go lucky, idealist, glass-half-full perspective on life. Ok, perhaps I’m not that stereotypically optimistic but my perpetual desire to look at the good, the positive, and most importantly, the hopeful that exists is inescapable. I really don’t have a choice, actually. I’m an INFJ.
But enough about me and all those who identify with this line of thinking. This is supposed to be about those other folks, the cynics, the ones who perpetually look for, expect, and smugly verify their “right-ness” when things go wrong. Many cynics reading this will probably pipe up that they are that less intense version called a “realist” (Sure, ok).
But, surely no one would choose to walk around waiting for things to go wrong, right? Surely the best position to be in is that of the blissful optimist, right?
Here’s the reality: Things go wrong. I know that was pretty revolutionary. Once you recover, just keep reading.
Things go wrong, people do bad things, life is not fair. These aren’t ascriptions to a particular outlook, these are just facts. The question is, what are we going to do about it? Well, this is where my critique of cynicism comes in. The cynic looks at those facts and is perhaps overwhelmed, or has had so many unfortunate experiences, or a number of other reasons, but their response is to then subconsciously seek out the things that do go wrong. Wait. Let’s review that last statement. Cynics are actually looking for things to go wrong? Yup, because as soon as they do, the unfairness, the bad, and the sad that happens just confirms what they knew would happen all along then they get to sit back, high-five each other, and shake their heads pitifully at those of us who insist on naively (in their opinion) waiting for good things to happen (or perhaps more correctly, to be done). So, why the title? Why is this safe? Because, the cynics are sitting on the sure side, the inevitable side, the “no question about it” side. It’s like going to a tropical rainforest in the wet season and saying “I bet it’s going to rain today!” Wait for it….drip, drop, sprinkle, downpour. “Ha, I knew it!” shouts the cynic.
The cynic knows something will go wrong because something WILL go wrong. There’s no challenge to predicting whether or not someone will eventually say something hurtful, whether a politician will eventually do something dishonest, whether a natural disaster will cause vast destruction, whether a family member or friend will pass away.
As an optimist, I look at all of this and recognize its inevitability but then rather than sitting back on the sidelines and waiting for it to happen, I strive to look beyond the bad, the painful, the depressing, to all the unexpected beauty, love, and light that emerges either as a result of or independent of those other, less pleasant, things. The optimist stands in the middle of the rainforest and marvels at the the streams of sun that pierce through the shadows and illuminate the life emerging in the midst of the storm.
Often the response to such a perspective ranges from concern to pity, because surely such optimism is a sign of slight delusion.
I could go on and on but at the end of the day cynicism and optimism are both coping mechanisms for the realities of life. The cynic copes with disappointment by expecting it so that it doesn’t come out of nowhere and knock them down. The optimist acknowledges the disappointment but resolutely searches for, embraces, and promotes all that is good. The difference is that cynicism is paralyzing. If bad things are inevitable then what is the point of doing good if a bowling ball is just going to come along and knock everything down. Optimism has an element of liberation. It is a call to arms that says “yup, something bad happened again but that means I have the opportunity to become a harbinger a hope, a practitioner of peace, a giver of grace.
And secretly (though they might not admit it), the cynics want to be surprised as well. They want to believe that life is full of more beauty than brokenness, more promise than pain, and above all, more hope for everyone. The challenge for all of us is to move beyond the position of expectation to action.
