Noticing the obvious is about one thing. And that's optimism.
It's about remembering that I am optimistic, and reminding the reader that they are optimistic.
As it happens, 'Optimism' is the title of one of my favourite books that I own. It's a little skinny book, barely 75 pages. It was actually considered an 'Essay' when it was first published and as an interesting side note, I am very pleased to say that I have a copy of the original first edition printing from 1903. It truly gives me joy to see that this little thing in my hand is 121 years old. It fires up my imagination to think that there is not a single person in the world today who was born when this was published.
I start to wonder if there are many people alive today share a worldview similar to the writer's perspective during her life in 1800s America. By the way, this person who wrote the essay, Helen Keller was blind and deaf. Excuse me, I have to repeat: she was blind and deaf, and an author. And she was extremely optimistic and loved the world. Helen wrote this Essay to send future readers a message, that being optimistic is beneficial.
Being optimistic is beneficial.
This seems very obvious. This is something I instinctively know.
This is something I want the reader to remember that they instinctively already know.
So if it is beneficial, it would follow that we should try to acquire the habits that build the skills to help increase optimism.
Here are my 9 favourite selections from Helen Keller's 'Optimism,' which I think, show her character quite clearly. Whenever I want to increase my own optimism, I find it useful to see how another great optimist views the world, and take a quick glance from that view.
Part I. Optimism Within
As someone who is blind and deaf, labeled as disadvantaged, let me be the one to gladly rise up and testify to the goodness of life.
My optimism does not rest on the absence of evil, but on a glad belief in the predominance of good and a willing effort always to cooperate with the good.
My share in the work of the world may be limited; but the fact that it is work makes it precious.
Part II. Optimism Without
When I learned from Berkeley that your eyes receive an inverted image of things which your brain unconsciously corrects, I began to suspect that the eye is not a very reliable instrument after all.
Far back in the twilight of history I see the savage fleeing from the forces of nature which he has not learned to control, and trying to satisfy supernatural beings which are but the creation of his superstitious fear. Through suffering, he is gifted with the genius of Greece. But Greece was not perfect. Her poetical and religious ideals were far above her practice; therefore she died, that her ideals might survive to ennoble coming ages. Rome, too, left the world a rich inheritance. Through the vicissitudes of history her laws and ordered government have stood a majestic object-lesson for the ages. But when the stern, frugal character of her people ceased to be the bone of her civilization, Rome fell. Then came the new nations of the North and founded a more permanent society. The base of Greek and Roman society was the slave, The base of the new society was the freeman who fought, tilled, judged and grew from more to more. The story of man's slow ascent from savagery through barbarism and self-mastery to civilization is the embodiment of the spirit of optimism.
If we compare our own time with the past, we find in modern statistics a solid foundation for a confident and buoyant world-optimism.
Part III. Practicing Optimism
It is dangerous to propagate a pessimistic philosophy. One who believes that the pain in the world outweighs the joy, and expresses that unhappy conviction, only adds to the pain.
Since I consider it a duty to myself and to others to be happy, I escape a misery worse than any physical deprivation.
If we have lost some of the heroic physical qualities of our ancestors, we have replaced them with a spiritual nobleness that calms anger and heals the wounds of the defeated. All the past attainments of man are ours; and more, his day-dreams have become our clear realities.
Thank you for sending the message Helen.
It has been well received with love.
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