We, unfortunately, live in a world where devastating issues affect the lives of others on a daily basis. Those issues include world hunger, poverty, crime, unemployment, inequality, violence, and diseases. Some countries or areas are affected more by these issues than others. Mexico, for instance, has a poverty rate of 42% while American has one of 12.3%. Suppose that most of these major world problems were fixed, would one continue having an optimistic mindset or would that not be necessary anymore?
Optimism is a powerful determinant to an individual's success, happiness, and impact on society, whether or not the world’s problems are solved. According to Collins Dictionary, optimism is “the tendency to take the most hopeful or cheerful view of matters or to expect the best outcome”. An optimistic person is known to have a positive outlook on life and believe that we live in ‘the best of all possible worlds’.
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Many studies have been conducted on the effectiveness of optimism compared to pessimism. One study made by Harvard University states: “The pessimist assumes blame for bad news, assumes the situation is stable and has a global impact. The optimist does not assume blame for negative events. Instead, he tends to give himself credit for good news, assume good things will last, and be confident that positive developments will spill over into many areas of his life”. Therefore, the pessimist’s view of the world inclines them toward negativity and can negatively affect their mental health.
As hard as it may seem, being optimistic is the choice you want to make no matter the circumstance. The majority of us have been exposed to traumatic events that have scarred us like losing a loved one, being in a serious car accident, or even community violence. Some people are constantly reminded of a traumatic event which leads to a diminishing mental health. So, one shouldn’t dwell on those past instances instead learn from them and look forward to the good things that’ll come across your life. The fact is that bad things happen, yet good things do too. You’ll realize sooner or later that what’s done is done and for the sake of your well-being moving on is what’ll best suits you.
Now, taking into account that all the world’s problems were solved, it’d be easy for most to say that there is no need for optimism. Putting an end to the tragic events that take a toll on this world would be phenomenal. Picture a world where no more children and families are struggling to find their next meal. A time where we no longer have to read news articles titled such as, ‘Innocent Sixteen-Year-Old Killed by Gang Member’. I believe humanity should always be hopeful because the time for all these problems to come back is only a matter of time. They will keep coming back if we allow ourselves to turn to negative mentalities. As an optimist, you already see the world as perfect, but there are those – pessimist - who don’t and will never see it that way. That is why it’s important to push towards an optimistic mindset so that we understand and recognize the problems in the world and take the opportunity to fix them. So, in order to solve these world problems, we have to start with an optimistic mentality and allow ourselves to invest in the problem-free future we are trying to reach. We need more people who promote and live by optimism. Imagine the worst that can happen to someone, and think what if that person is capable of being happy in that situation. Now that person has learned to truly be happy in any situation since they allowed themselves to be happy at their worst. Optimism gives you that type of strength and helps you believe that it’s okay if not everything goes right. You may not be able to convert all your problems to a solution that satisfies you but at least you were given the strength to hold on and let time pass by.
There’s clearly no better choice than to being optimistic. Pessimism doesn’t achieve the things and doesn’t benefit one as much either. Just because you're an optimist doesn't mean you're going to see everything positively 24/7. Everything will not always be perfect. But optimism allows us to see new opportunities, keeping moving forward, and learn from different instances. Even in a world with no problems, there still lives an uncertainty whether or not those problems will forever be solved. Therefore, keeping an optimistic mindset is not only a crucial part of emotional health within our society today but also for the many years to come.
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