THE TROUBLE WITH PESSIMISM

THE TROUBLE WITH PESSIMISM

If you think the world is ending, you are closing the window of opportunity. You won't act one way or another, because there's nothing to be done anyway. Being a pessimist can be harmful to yourself and others. Have pessimists ever reversed any dark times in the past? As a matter of fact, the accomplishments in this world have mainly been achieved, thanks to the optimists.

Pessimism is often unjustified and unfounded. It could be fatal for the quality of your life. Never get caught up in the collective mood of hopelessness if certain dreadful things are allegedly happening somewhere. Why would you be spoiling your day, while the alarming things could be vastly overblown? You may not have been sufficiently informed. There is a constant stream of misleading information ('fake news') all the time, which arouses the fear of both the educated and the uneducated. 

There is plenty to be optimistic about. Despite all the gloom and doom, more than a billion fewer people are living today below the International Poverty Line than in 1990, just 34 years ago. Across the world, the average life expectancy since 1900 has more than doubled. The number of people reaching the age of 100 has quadrupled in the last few decades.

But pessimists will not be allowed to live a long life. There should be an unspoken rule against voicing extreme pessimism. You just have to find a way to believe in the future of mankind. Therefore, make today count. As the Irish say - 'Here's to a long life and a merry one!'

RICK SCHMULL