Hope and optimism aren’t the same thing. Optimism is believing that things will get better. Hope is believing that they can get better. Optimism is OK to a point, as long as it doesn’t become wishful thinking or delusion. Hope is always justified, as it’s a powerful tool of creation.
Meanwhile, pessimism gets a bad rap. Pessimism, or believing that things will not get better isn’t good or bad on its face. It’s just a judgment call. Pessimism as a knee-jerk reaction to everything we experience isn’t useful or particularly fun. However, pessimism can sometimes be an accurate assessment of our circumstances.
Eternal optimism, in contrast, is often lauded as a virtue, even though it can sometimes blind us to reality, facts, and probabilities. However, being pessimistic about something doesn’t mean we can’t be hopeful. And it doesn’t mean we can’t be optimistic about the long-term or the bigger picture.
For example, if we find ourselves in a bad work situation, we can be optimistic that it’ll turn around, even though the facts suggest that’s unlikely to ever happen. Our boss will always be a jerk, and the dysfunctional work culture likely won’t improve anytime soon. If we’re overly optimistic, we may not see these realities clearly. As a result, we might stay in the job too long.
Instead, it might be better to be pessimistic about the current situation and optimistic that we’ll find a better job somewhere else. We can also be hopeful that it’ll all turn out for the best. But when we ignore the pessimism alarm bells and pretend things are not as bad as they seem at work, our bad situation will likely continue and possibly worsen.
Pessimism isn’t a dirty word. It’s a useful tool. It’s an important signal, sometimes sent by our subconscious, warning us to take action or change course. We ignore it at our own peril.