Glad … to be an optimist

I’m so glad … I can see the bright side.

I confess. I’m Pollyanna.

I have done my best to cultivate an inner attitude that it’s going to be all right. I’ve been grateful for that attitude a lot, lately.

It’s a big, scary world with people who seem hell-bent on keeping it scary for as long as possible.

The scariest are the people who believe they’re scaring us for our own good. People with altruistic motives are more likely to do something horrible because they believe they’re acting in our best interests, to save us from something even more horrible.

People who choose the lesser of two evils are still choosing evil.

I have done my best to cultivate an inner attitude that it’s always possible to choose good, if we look hard enough.

Choosing the right way is often harder than choosing the lesser of two evils, but it’s more likely to result in a viable and sustainable long-term solution.

The key is to keep looking, refusing the easy and evil path, until you find that better way.

I try to expect good from people until they give me a reason to expect otherwise. It makes me more vulnerable, but I find it’s worth the risk more often than not.

How much heavier my heart would be if I expected the worst from people all the time. Politicians are like that, and tyrants — but I repeat myself.

Optimism — expecting the best, trusting other people — is a risky and potentially dangerous way to live (in many situations “cautious optimism” is the best policy), but I choose it over pessimism as often as I can.

Sure, pessimists expect the worst and are pleasantly surprised from time to time, but I’d rather be constantly on the lookout for the best in people, in situations, and in life in general.

Hope is just easier on the soul.