Are You an Optimist, a Realist, or a Pessimist?

[Tenchithepimp]

Optimism - having hopefulness and confidence about the future or successful outcome of something; a tendency to take a favourable or hopeful view.

Pessimism - a state of mind in which one perceives life negatively. Value judgments may vary dramatically between individuals, even when judgments of fact are undisputed.

Realism - terms that describe any manifestation of philosophical realism, the belief that reality exists independently of observers, whether in philosophy itself or in the applied arts and sciences. In this broad sense it is frequently contrasted with Idealism.

which of these are you?

as for me, I'm an optimist, but I think I'm more of a comedic optimist. I'm the kind of person who thinks humanity is so sad that it's funny. I heal pain with laughter and I can make a joke out of almost anything, even serious stuff, which is why my jokes are sometimes borderline offensive. lol.

[Lonny]

I'm more a realist who's not easily fooled. I don't see a glass as half empty or half full. I see what's exactly in the glass.

I am brutally honest in all my assessments of situations this has always help you cope and get by, even at a younger age.

I have had others tell me to lighten up being this way.

The way I think may been holding me back all my life for allot of things. However I would rather be this way then have blinders up and pretend things never really happened.
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[Fullmoon]

@Lonny
Totally agree with you!


The optimist is the tightrope walker ready to cross the rope of balance to 10 meters above the ground, tempting fate and relying on its capabilities.
The pessimist is what we do not even try.
The realist, however, is the one who likes to tempt fate, but only after ensuring that in the string there is a safety net.

I'm in the middle, I am a realist: I always keep my feet on the ground, so to properly evaluate people and situations, I will not be carried away by the winds of false hopes.
Being realistic does not mean taking away the passions, to the pleasure of risk or surprise, to let go.
Even with their feet firmly on the ground, I can always give good experiences and adventures after assessment of risks and opportunities, strengths and weaknesses.
If I can properly evaluate a situation and I know a priori the possibility of success, I have no sad surprises if I fail, because I was already aware of and prepared to accept the defeat or the high price.

Personally I distrust and avoid people optimistic and pessimistic: I do not like

[Master Of Puppets]

Nice topic Tenchithepimp,

I have always considered myself a trybrid (don't think that's a word but I hope that it is but realistically it doesn't sound right ) dependent on what stage of my life I was in.

I believe most people are realists at the core with optimistic tendencies. I also believe that no one starts out a pessimist but rather slowly over time they realize that a lot of the things they were told as children just aren't true.

I remember the look on my daughter's face when she seen the Disney Princesses this past summer. She had a smile from ear to ear. Why? Because she still believes in the magic and the wonder that all children believe in. The belief that they can be anything they want to, that the sky's the limit so dream as big as you can. How can you not be optimistic if you hold this to be true. I mean who wouldn't be if all you ever experienced was positive after positive with success after success, and were sheltered from how cruel the world can truly be.

Then as you get older you realize that life isn't always fair. The good guys don't always win and things don't always go your way. This is when your true tendency is realized. It isn't until you have experienced your first negative life moment that you find out on what side your character will take you. Some may argue that upbringing has a lot to do with how you will react to the negatives but I believe that you are just 'hard wired' to react a certain way to different (difficult) situations.

I can honestly say that after my childhood optimism vanished I became very pessimistic but experience has taught me that things are never as bad as what they may seem. You really don't have to look very far to see that someone else is going through something far worse then what you might be experiencing. I find that when I do find myself getting negative about something I can quickly snap out of it and bring myself back to an even keel. Age and experience have both taught me to be more of a realist and to always try to maintain a positive outlook.

Now I'm not saying I don't have my pessimistic moments...

Case in point when the Raiders take the field I already know they are going to lose. It wouldn't matter if they were playing the last place team in the league they will find a way to lose the football game. Case in point...(Miami 35 - Oakland 13) somehow I just knew it!

[dragonslayer]

I would say I am a realist. I hope for the best, prepare for the worst and deal with what is because it is what it is. No getting around that no matter how much you hope it would be differently. In fact, one of my favorite sayings is....it is what it is.

[reganz]

an interesting topic,I am mostly a realist which can be somewhat depressing as I really wish I was an anarchist.