My wife recently posted a piece on her blog about how she is an incurable optimist. I have always thought this about her. It is a big thing that attracted me to her in the first place. I'm not sure if my outlook is what attracted her to me. To be honest I've never really thought of myself as an optimist or as a pessimist. I'd like to think of myself as an optimistic pragmatist. However, I've never thought of myself as smart enough to be a pragmatist. And I'm not sure there are a lot of people out there who call me an optimist. But a pessimist? I don't think so.
At the risk of sounding pretentious, there is an aphorism of Nietschze that at first I didn't get, but it stayed with me and now I think it is one of the coolest concepts you can have about life. It goes like this (to paraphrase). What if a man came up to you and said you must live this life over and over again. There is no escape from it. Everything you have done before you must do again. Everything that you will do you will do again. You must live this life for all eternity. Would you shun this man, deny his assertions, and run away from him (I think there's something else about nashing of teeth) or would you praise him like a god, thanking him profusely (and it goes on little too poetically).
I would like to think I'd praise, or at least thank him profusely. The point being this is the life you've got, so live it. You don't get another shot. In fact, you might just very well have to live this life over and over again, so you better make it the best life you possibly can. I want to make this life the best I possibly can and I want to say, on my deathbed, I want to do this again -- like a ride on a kick ass roller coaster. I think I could say that today.
Sure, there are opportunities I've squandered, there are a lot of things I want to take back, there are people I've hurt, stupid things that I've done, but overall, I've had a great time and am really looking forward to what's ahead even if I don't know what it is. I'm sure there are some sad things coming my way. I'm sure I will have some regrets. I'm sure I've got some disappointments. I'd like to think I have the fortitude and the outlook on life to handle them all and to keep going and enjoying life. I know I've got a good base of friends, a great family, and hobbies and pursuits to keep me engaged.
Anyway, I guess I don't know what I am -- optimist, pessimist, realist, I don't know. I'm just glad to be here.
At the risk of sounding pretentious, there is an aphorism of Nietschze that at first I didn't get, but it stayed with me and now I think it is one of the coolest concepts you can have about life. It goes like this (to paraphrase). What if a man came up to you and said you must live this life over and over again. There is no escape from it. Everything you have done before you must do again. Everything that you will do you will do again. You must live this life for all eternity. Would you shun this man, deny his assertions, and run away from him (I think there's something else about nashing of teeth) or would you praise him like a god, thanking him profusely (and it goes on little too poetically).
I would like to think I'd praise, or at least thank him profusely. The point being this is the life you've got, so live it. You don't get another shot. In fact, you might just very well have to live this life over and over again, so you better make it the best life you possibly can. I want to make this life the best I possibly can and I want to say, on my deathbed, I want to do this again -- like a ride on a kick ass roller coaster. I think I could say that today.
Sure, there are opportunities I've squandered, there are a lot of things I want to take back, there are people I've hurt, stupid things that I've done, but overall, I've had a great time and am really looking forward to what's ahead even if I don't know what it is. I'm sure there are some sad things coming my way. I'm sure I will have some regrets. I'm sure I've got some disappointments. I'd like to think I have the fortitude and the outlook on life to handle them all and to keep going and enjoying life. I know I've got a good base of friends, a great family, and hobbies and pursuits to keep me engaged.
Anyway, I guess I don't know what I am -- optimist, pessimist, realist, I don't know. I'm just glad to be here.
posted by jotaeme | 8:49 AM
2 Comments:
Wow. I'm not sure how I would characterize you either. Honestly you seem such a pessimist, but maybe that's not so much a question of your outlook as what you are willing to share with and present to (admit to?) the world around you. Great post. And about damn time.
I guess this is something I don't understand about "me". How do I present myself as a pessimist? I know that I am not the effusive guy in the world and I can see how that would make me appear less optimistic about things. But I don't think people, by their nature, are bad. I hope I don't treat people that way.
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