Optimists and Pessimists
by Joanne Steenberg, Maine
I came across a powerful quote this week by George Bernard Shaw. It stopped me in my tracks and made me shift my thinking in big and important ways. He said, “Both optimists and pessimists contribute to society. The optimist invents the airplane, the pessimist the parachute.”
I just LOVE that! In our striving to love all humans, we need to love both the optimist and the pessimist. It is not about choosing sides, but acknowledging the inherent value each brings to the table. The power of diversity lies not only in embracing different religions, cultures, and beliefs, but also in valuing diverse perspectives and thought processes.
The optimist finds hope and opportunity in even the darkest of times. As Helen Keller said, “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement.” This unwavering belief in possibilities fuels innovation, resilience and the courage to dream beyond limitations. And yet, often misunderstood as negativity, the pessimistic viewpoint becomes a counterbalance, prompting thorough planning, and risk assessment.
I think Winston Churchill captures this sentiment well: “The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.”
Imagine a team embarking on a challenging project. The optimist ignites enthusiasm, painting a vivid picture of success and inspiring others to strive for greatness. And the pessimist, with a critical eye, identifies potential pitfalls, prompting necessary precautions and contingency plans. We need both.
My dad was somewhat of a pessimist. Although he was outgoing and joyful and embraced life, he had an innate thought pattern that would often imagine the worst. What if the car breaks down? What if the kids are running too fast and trip and fall into the glass sliding doors? It was sweet, but it also irritated me. I can remember being frustrated as a teenager as I was about to get in the car and go out for the night. My poor Italian dad would worry so much, often causing me to be late to my outing because he had to check the tires and under the hood one more time before I left. Now, of course, I realize that it was a very sweet form of love. He didn’t want his 17-year-old daughter on the side of the road with a broken-down car on a Saturday night.
It has taken me a while to embrace the pessimist, but I absolutely do now! I am an optimist. But we must embrace both. And for all you pessimists out there, try to embrace the optimists in your life too. We are not just head-in-the sand Pollyannas; we contribute to the uplifting of others with just as much value as those who are contemplating and thinking about all that could go wrong. We need each other.
Let’s remember we are one human race. We are all here right now and we are all going to be gone one day. We don’t know when that will be. So, let’s love all the many ways we humans are striving to be together on this planet.
“One love. One Heart. Let’s get together and feel alright.” – Bob Marley
Love and gratitude, Joanne
Joanne Steenberg is the founder of The Love Card. Her mission is to spread love to as many people on the planet as possible and to empower others to do the same. Since 2016 The Love Card has distributed over 260,000 all over the world. It is Steenberg’s hope that this pay-it-forward movement grows and reminds people of the power of love. A life-long educator she also teaches a self-empowerment course for teens entitled POWER. For more information visit TheLoveCard.org
