Positive About Optimism

By now, you all should know that I am an optimistic person. There are many reasons for this, including the fact that I believe in the power of the human spirit to overcome incredible obstacles, and that without an optimistic attitude one might never try… let alone succeed, in overcoming incredible odds. The Miracle on Ice would have never happened if the coach and players had said “We are realists. We know that they are better than us and that the odds of winning are not very good. We aren’t pessimists. We are realists. We know they are better than us.”

They would have been beaten before they started.

What about the 1988 Dodgers without their MVP in the Playoffs and World Series? “The Mets beat us 11 out of 12 times in the regular season – we have no chance, but even if we did, in the World Series, we have to face the best team in baseball with the best closer in baseball. We are just being realistic.”

They would have had no chance, but guess what? They did not buy into that pessimistic thinking. The rest is, as they say, history. Often pessimists disguise their pessimism by saying, “I am not a pessimist – I’m just a realist!” Yeah, right! No matter how you try and cloak it, you are a “glass half full person.” Well, they say that they are “realists” but in reality, they are pessimists through and through. I feel sorry for them because they always feel that the worst will happen (which makes them miserable) and when it happens… well they are still miserable because they were right. When something good happens, they might feel something less than elation, but it doesn’t last long.

On the other hand, optimists believe that the best will happen and until it doesn’t, they are happy. When it doesn’t they might be less than miserable, but it doesn’t last long. I think that is a better way to live. I never have a bad day. Maybe a bad hour… but never a bad day. William James was an American philosopher, historian, and psychologist, and the first educator to offer a psychology course in the United States. He said this:

“Pessimism leads to weakness, optimism to power.“

We live in an age today of victimization. So many people proclaim their victimhood from racism, police oppression, obesity genes, bad breaks, alcoholism, drug addiction, being born in the wrong place, in the wrong place at the wrong time, etc., etc. Some say they are too thin, too fat, too black, too white, too tall, too short, too smart, too dumb, too fast, too slow, too cheated, or too privileged. In psychology, James’ work is, of course, dated, but it is dated as is Galileo’s in physics or Charles Darwin’s in biology because it is the originative matrix of the great variety of new developments that are the current vogue. In philosophy, his positive work is still prophetic: Pessimism leads to weakness, optimism to power.“

I believe in that 100% and if you don’t, well, as a pessimist, you usually get what you believe. Me? I am worth more than that. I refuse to believe that. I also realize that some people are just “wired” a certain way and nothing I do can change that. YOU can change your thinking from pessimistic to optimistic one thought at a time, but that has to come from you and no one else. I also happen to believe that there are only optimists and pessimists… and realists are just pessimists who refuse to identify as that.

Why am I talking about this right about now? Well, when things go bad and then they get worse, it is often very difficult to maintain a positive attitude. When a player like Cody Bellinger is mired in a horrible slump, day-after-day-after-day, how does he even begin to have hope? Well, it has to start with a short memory and a positive attitude, which has to be damn hard to get, let alone maintain. Cody was credited with two hits last night, but I am not ready to pronounce him out of his slump. However, it is a step in the right direction.

If we look back over the season, there were times when Dodger fans wanted to get rid of Cody Bellinger, AJ Pollock, Max Muncy, and Kenley Jansen, to name but a few. Pollock, Muncy, and Jansen have “fixed” their problems and are pretty much back to being staples of a hot Dodger lineup. Hopefully, Cody Bellinger is “in the process” of “fixing” his issues. Only time will tell, but the Dodgers with a horrid-hitting Cody Bellinger have been a Very Good team. If Cody’s problems get “fixed,” they become a “Super Team” and to me, that is worth the wait!

Last night’s game was challenging and when it came down to the last man in the bullpen, Shane Greene earned his pay… even if that happens to be the last game he pitches this season. What a game… and yet the Giants refuse to die. There’s still plenty of time for that. Hopefully, we see Mookie today!