Positive Engagement

“The most courageous decision that you can make each day is to be in a good mood.” — Voltaire

Each of us has our default setting on how we view the world. Some see the glass half full, some see it half empty. Some just see a glass with water in it and don’t dwell on how level it actually is.

Ultimately, the ride is short and it’s unfair far more often than it should be. That’s realistic, and the starting point for how we view everything else after that understanding. Good and bad things happen to each of us, but the way an optimist looks at the world is vastly different from the way a pessimist looks at it. Which is realistic? Neither, really, at least on the surface. One can be grounded in realism and focus on the worst the world has to offer, or alternatively, focus on hope and silver linings and a way forward from the darkness.

To live a positive life in a world we know is unfair and unforgiving is not delusional, it’s deliberate. Living optimistically offers benefits. We optimists tend to live a bit longer, and savor the time a bit more, than our pessimistic counterparts. Given the choice, positive engagement with the world sure seems more fun than negatively recoiling from it.