[Keith_McClary]

[onlooker]

yes keith we really are slowly cooking literally and figuratively in many ways. Depletion of some finite resources, universal spoiling of Mother Earth, more CO2 into atmosphere that will drive Global Warming for thousands of years, more waste into an already burdened biosphere etc. So the analogy about the frog is very very apt. We have and are doing things that slowly have gotten worse and will continue to get worse. Slow and ever so predictable. I am been on this board for several years and hoped people would wake up and stop this lunacy. But NO. Just like the frog we will end up cooked never really understanding what did us in.

[SeaGypsy]

That's not it here, our frog has a mirror & knows, but there isn't anywhere to jump, so pinacolada & floating lounge is making the best of it.

[MD]

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quote ... 25011.html

Heinlein answered this question perfectly.

"Don't ever become a pessimist... a pessimist is correct oftener than an optimist, but an optimist has more fun, and neither can stop the march of events."

[SeaGypsy]

Another factor/ reason to hang on to optimism is that pessimism & inaction have a very solid marriage. If you like being active, better have a positive reason to act. If you like being inactive, what better excuse than committed negativity?

[Timo]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('SeaGypsy', 'A')nother factor/ reason to hang on to optimism is that pessimism & inaction have a very solid marriage. If you like being active, better have a positive reason to act. If you like being inactive, what better excuse than committed negativity?

[ralfy]

The frog has no mirror.

[MD]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Timo', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('SeaGypsy', 'A')nother factor/ reason to hang on to optimism is that pessimism & inaction have a very solid marriage. If you like being active, better have a positive reason to act. If you like being inactive, what better excuse than committed negativity?

[SeaGypsy]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('ralfy', 'T')he frog has no mirror.

[SeaGypsy]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('MD', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Timo', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('SeaGypsy', 'A')nother factor/ reason to hang on to optimism is that pessimism & inaction have a very solid marriage. If you like being active, better have a positive reason to act. If you like being inactive, what better excuse than committed negativity?

[Timo]

Precisely, PStarr. Thank you. I'm glad you understood my point.

[Timo]

True story that I just have to share regarding optimists and pessimists. Off topic, big time, but, oh well.

Years ago, back when I was much more active and involved with local philanthropic organizations here in town, I ended up on someone's charitable-giving rolodex. This was before the era of illegal blind calling, and even before the era of wide-spread cell phones. I did have a computer, but that was a Gateway 368, 40 mg hard drive, and 4 mg of RAM. It did have an SVGA monitor, though. That was cool! Anyway, I ended up getting a lot of phone calls asking for money from one organization in particular, that being the Optimist Club. I never gave them anything, and yet they still called, almost every week for almost 6 months asking me to part with my money. I was in grad school at the time, and money was in very short supply, so I continuously said no. Eventually, I got rather pissed off, and asked them to remove my name from their rolodex. Still the calls persisted. On the last call I received from them, I let them have it. I told them they'd been calling me for 6 months asking for money, and never once had I ever bowed and contributed to the cause de jour. In precise words, I told them, Look, I know you're Optimists, but I'm never going to give you any money, so stop wasting your time every week calling me, asking me for a contribution. Your optimism that I might eventually cave in is getting on my bad side, and I'm growing more pessimistic about the Optimists every time you call!

They never called me again. Optimism can be downright annoying, sometimes!

Anyway, I used to be an optimist in almost every sense of the word. Not sure what happened along the way, but age had jaded me. I look at the world today, and I certainly do not like what I see. I guess I'm optimistic that the OP will rise up and start to get the world back under control, any day now. Does that qualify for optimism?

[Ibon]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Timo', '
')
Anyway, I used to be an optimist in almost every sense of the word. Not sure what happened along the way, but age had jaded me. I look at the world today, and I certainly do not like what I see. I guess I'm optimistic that the OP will rise up and start to get the world back under control, any day now. Does that qualify for optimism?

[ralfy]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('SeaGypsy', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('ralfy', 'T')he frog has no mirror.

[Timo]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Ibon', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Timo', '
')
Anyway, I used to be an optimist in almost every sense of the word. Not sure what happened along the way, but age had jaded me. I look at the world today, and I certainly do not like what I see. I guess I'm optimistic that the OP will rise up and start to get the world back under control, any day now. Does that qualify for optimism?

[Pops]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Timo', 'M')aybe this discussion needs a definition, or at least a focal point for the words "optimist" and "pessimist." An optimist regarding.........????????

[SeaGypsy]

Hipster?

[PeakOiler]

Realist?