We have been accustomed to how society sees things negatively, which has made it hard for us to be happy or positive, even about the simplest things. Now, let me say that being positive and happy can relate to being optimistic, being hopeful and confident about the future, or thinking of the best possible outcome in every scenario. It can also be someone confident of a result. On the other hand, being realistic is considered a practical way of seeing things or things that can be achieved and seeing things as they are.
Having this in mind, let me put into context where this is all coming from. I consider myself to be an optimistic person and also realistic. Still, many have told me when something is possible, and I am confident that it will happen, that I have to be realistic of the scenario. But why can’t we be both? Why can’t we have an optimistic and realistic perspective about anything? Is being realistic the key to success and being optimistic the key to happiness? Is it possible to balance both of them out and become optimistic realists?
Well, the other day, I had class and the teacher gave us a quiz to test our optimism in relation to historical data and facts, such as population, global warming, amongst other things. And in that quiz, I put my emotions aside, became realistic, and thought of all the other facts we were taught about throughout our life, like poverty and equality in education. I didn’t do very well, to be honest, which led me to question why we are given all the negative data and news daily? Is it possible that society has wanted to relate being realistic to being pessimistic?
I don’t want to sound harsh or anything alike, but it was just questioning that more than half of the class were surprised by the correct answers and how most of us did not know the positive aspects of this world and how we have progressed. We are constantly taught that being negative is normality, being realistic is saying things as they are, and saying things as they are can be related to what we are shown and taught. But what if we are taught about everything, every perspective, every fact, and every detail in a situation? Maybe, just maybe, we will start questioning things for ourselves, gaining a more realistic aspect of a situation relating to our judgments. Depending on the outcome, you can decide if it is positive or negative. Hence, if that ever does happen, we can also become optimistic. It is just so frustrating to even think that since the day we are born, we are taught that negativity is normality, yet it is judged as pessimistic. Suppose we do start to question situations from our conclusions and start obtaining the answers. In that case, I believe that it is possible to become realistic and find a solution and a possible outcome in a more optimistic perspective. So, let’s become optimistic realists together...
Z.
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