We all know that there are people in the world that have no particular reason to be optimistic about their lives and still they are. There are also people whose life is close to being perfect and still they tend to be pessimistic about the future.
We are often told to pull ourselves by our bootstraps, think positively and success will follow.
It’s hard to be optimistic when you are a refugee, when you’ve lost a family member or you haven’t worked for months. Is there any sense to have hope in these dire times? Or given all the injustice and pain in the world, to have hope is an irrational response, a sign of not being able to cope with reality?
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Many people believe that hope can be replaced by personal strength and perseverance. They seem to believe that having hope is just another way to fool ourselves.
But in reality, there are a couple of reasons why having hope can make all the difference in the world.
1. There is pleasure not only in achieving a goal, but also in the pleasant anticipation of it.
Our results are not always dependent on our efforts. So no matter what the outcome is, we can still enjoy the prospect of things turning our way. If things don’t work out, embracing hope won’t make us any more disappointed than we would have been anyway.
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2. Research shows that hope and optimism can ease suffering.
People who are inclined to be more optimistic are likely to have healthier and happier lives. Experiments have shown that hope does not change the painful experience, but it does increase our tolerance towards it.
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So maybe the best approach is to hope for the best and prepare for the worst. Share this!
