Be Optimistic. Be optimistic about people. In an intoxicated state, someone once said to me, “I am optimistic about people but pessimistic about world views.” Why was he this way? Because he forces himself to be optimistic for people. Think about it. I thought, and I said I was the opposite of he; I, for one, have a positive look on the world but yet very cynical of people. I never realized this–my natural inclination to find the worst in people. Clearly, this is not a good way to be. Think about it–if you are optimistic about people, and you treat them as an open slate and go in and get to know them with no judgments, if you take away all your tarnishing assumptions on people, then the result can only be beneficial. I realized the absurdity of my previous assumptions of people, which are based on nothing, literally just preconceived notions. Try to free yourself from those normal societal restraints and see everyone as an intriguing story. What is their story? Everybody has a story, and everybody has something to offer you, whether it be advice, experience, friendship, or some knowledge, you take a piece of everyone you engage with everywhere you go. If they are interesting, get to know them, that is the point of meeting people– to understand the viewpoint, the worldview the lifestyles, the language and words, of this person. When you understand the ideology of someone else, it only helps you understand yours more clearly.
February 3, 2008 at 3:09 am
I have to say, I for one also find the negatives in people too, but I have no problem with this. I think that a person’s negative aspects have a lot more to say about them then their positive ones.
February 3, 2008 at 3:14 am
It’s always easier to find the negatives and perhaps it is a useful filter, but the real value of human existence is in the bonds formed between each other and the bonds are formed when we see the positive.