Can Pessimism Be Positive
I often hear from clients that they are not very positive about the future. Be that their own future in a personal sense or the future of the world around them. There is a real sense of pessimism in the air. The thought occurred to me that perhaps being pessimistic is not as bad as many would have you believe. Indeed, could pessimism be seen as an extreme form of being pragmatic.
It is true that none of us know what the future holds for us. We do the best we can to plan ahead, but in reality we have very little control of outside circumstances which have an impact on our lives. Also, the world is a bit more negative than before, and surely it is appropriate that we acknowledge and accept that. Now this does not mean that we give into it. In order to move from a present state to a desired state, we must first accept the present state. Without this acceptance, we simply cannot move forward at all.
Once this is done, the appropriate response to the situation one finds oneself in may well be to be pessimistic. However, this does not have to be a permanent state. Rather, one can be pessimistic, until given reason and evidence for that to change. Once that is done, the pessimism falls and a new state begins.
