OPTIMISM

I awoke this Morning in a little lighter mood than I have experienced lately. I was getting into the doldrums. I am so eager for humankind to show more awakening. I don't lose my faith, that it is happening, and I don't pay too much attention to the negative media. Yet, sometimes I feel like I am slogging through the world blindly, with nothing but a promise. I don't continue in a dark mood through the day. I find a way to lighten up. Still, one shouldn't have to struggle to lighten up, should they.

So, I thought of writing about optimism today. Since, I am a believer, in the creative power of thoughts; I do not often entertain negative thoughts for long. They come and go, as they do for all of us, but I don't find myself dwelling on them. However, negativity can come in the form of mood; it can be like a dark shroud wrapping around us. If it is a heavy shroud, we are aware, and can take measures to deal with it. However, if it is a light cloak, we may not notice anything but continuing blah. We may let it stick around longer than we need to.

Negative moods can arise from physical conditions. They could be related to nutritional, endocrinologic or other physical processes. Of course, regardless of the condition, optimism plays a large part; but I am addressing, the more garden variety mood problem, that is created by the entertainment, of optimisms opposite, pessimism.

It seems silly to write about this, at all, since volumes have been written about it, and I can't say anything that hasn't been said better by somebody else. But, I know we keep flirting with pessimism. We keep entertaining dark thoughts about the future, our personal future or that of the world, and we miss out on enjoying big hunks of our lives.

We know by now, that hanging on to negative thoughts, will lead to some kind of misery. We know that if we do not address the negative mood, and replace it with optimistic thought, we will continue in the doldrums. Why do we put up with it?

Have we been successfully indoctrinated into the belief, that optimism leads to discouragement? Have we been indoctrinated into believing optimism is negative; is being like Pollyanna? What do you think?

How can optimism be bad? We create with our thoughts. We increase what we focus on. Sure sometimes we get discouraged. Does it help to sink into pessimism? Or is it better to ramp up the optimism?

Optimism creates room for love. Optimism equates with happiness. Optimism is not the denial that bad things can happen. When your standing up to your armpits in muck and somebody throws you, a rope or a shovel, and you ignore both of them, in the hope that the muck will magically disappear, that is craziness, not optimism. Optimism is not denial, it is seeing that, of the choice of several probable futures, we opt for the one we like. Focusing on what we want to happen, is how we bring it about. It is creation in action. Optimism, is the good feeling, that it will happen.

When we wake up in the Morning, we can look forward to a fantastic, richly rewarding, day or we can choose something else. We are choosing with our thoughts and feelings. Choosing the best of all probable futures is optimism. When we go to bed at night, are we going to be happier, if we chose optimism?

Let us get back to the question, "Why would we choose anything else but optimism?' "What is the allure of pessimism?" Is pessimism self-protective? Are we protecting ourselves from discouragement? Are we settling for having muck up to our hips, all the time, for fear of the muck getting up to our necks, occasionally?

Perhaps, the biggest lure of pessimism, is that it fits with our sense of worthiness. If we, all, knew we were worthy, would the words optimism and pessimism even exist? When we know we are worthy, of the best creation can offer, would we even think about the future?

Can't we conclude that it all comes down to loving ourselves? When we love ourselves, we automatically expect the best for ourselves. Pause and remind yourself, what a loving being you are. Feel the love soaking in to you. It comes from the center of the Earth and it comes from the center of the universe. We are absolutely loving and loved beings. We just have to know it. Then we will always expect the best.

Happy Friday!

Love and Peace,  Gregg