In all honesty, I’ve had a pretty good life. I’ve had a few traumas that I would rather not talk about but then, everyone does. I feel like I’m in a position of privilege when I talk about my optimism and my hope; but really, it’s a disposition you acquire as you grow older.
Sometimes.
Some people are just born pessimists and there isn’t anything wrong with that; it’s realistic and often the more practical approach to life.
Then you have people who are happy, and then the people who’re just…sad. Sad about everything. You can see it in their eyes, in their posture especially. It’s not numbness, no, it’s different from depression. Sadness is that look in someone’s eyes which tells us that hope hasn’t really worked out for them. These are people who attract misfortune. They try, they do, but sometimes ones quota for patience can stop just short of the fullfillment endgame, and instead give way to that pesky futility, that pained curl of the lip, the downcast eyes.
It kills me.
But not everyone has the same capacity for unrelenting optimism. You can’t expect someone to suddenly cheer up just because you tell them, “Have patience! The sun’ll come out tomorrow! etc-” and you certainly cannot shame them for being sad.
I firmly believe there is happiness for everyone. But people can spend their lifetimes seeking it. It’s just life itself that’s the problem – there are so many side-effects of the damned institution that hinder the path of the finder and make getting to the endgame so much harder than it should be. That’s how we grow. And, frankly, it sucks.
But that’s life. The sooner you accept it, the easier it is to play by the universal rules, and the better you can traverse the tempestuous waters of existence.
My firm belief in the knowledge that there’s always something better cannog be swayed but that’s just me. The second you shame people for their pessimism, for their sadness, for the terrible hand they have been dealt by life, the harder you’re making things for them. However, support, a hint, a little wink that pushes a person onwards never goes amiss.
It’s only when we accept that everyone is different, that we have different outlooks and ideologies on life, that we can actually do something about the world. Cynics and idealists can work together to create the REAL Republic that Plato should’ve championed.
Balance, ladies, gentlemen (and those who have yet to make up their minds.)
Balance.
Neiha Lasharie 