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"IT IS BETTER TO BE OPTIMISTIC THAN REALISTIC" Psychic Advice Column addresses inquiries related to: Teaching about optimism, Unique daring optimistic, What is optimism to you, Optimism in current economy, Optimism physical health, Optimism pessimism attitudes, Optimism in the age of Obama, United we stand in optimism & more...

IT IS BETTER TO BE
OPTIMISTIC THAN REALISTIC

Question: "How can you stay current with world events and all of what humanity is doing to nature, animals and themselves - and still stay hopeful, centered, and optimistic?"

Psychic Advice:
Some people say that it is better to be realistic than optimistic, while others say that it is better to be optimistic than realistic. Optimism and realism are considered by many to be opposites - the dictionary even lists them as antonyms. Optimism is defined as "the belief that things are continually getting better", while realism is "a practical understanding and acceptance of the actual nature of the world, rather than an idealized or romantic view of it". Reality is "everything that actually does or could exist or happen in real life", but reality is often a matter of perspective.

One could say that in many ways, things are continually getting better on Earth. Many people live longer and better lives than they ever have before, with many diseases controlled or eradicated in much of the world. This is partly because food is readily available to many people, and life is easier for a lot of people thanks to technological advancements. We know more about the world now, and have greater access to more knowledge and worldwide communication than we ever have in recorded history. This is the optimistic point of view, but it is also realistic.

However, a realist might also point out that our food is denatured and has lost many of its beneficial nutrients; and that factory farming erodes the topsoil, and poisons the earth, the water supply and our food with chemical fertilizers and pesticides. A realist would also argue that millions of people are starving and dying of curable diseases throughout the third world, and even in first world countries, simply because food, medicine and healthcare are a matter of privilege in a capitalistic society. A realist would say that we value money over human life, that guns and warfare earn big profits for a few while causing the suffering of millions, and that animals are treated as commodities rather than as living sentient beings.

A realist would say that we allow corporations to poison our waterways and our air, that we allow political special interests in oil and coal to alter our climate, and we ignore the disastrous effects of intentional weather manipulation. A realist might point out that our technology not only keeps us more sedentary than ever before, but it is also eradicating privacy and promoting widespread control and surveillance. A realist would say that we have done more damage to this planet in one hundred years than it has ever experienced before. Some would say that this is the price of progress, but in fact, it is the cost of incessant and insatiable greed which comes from a belief in scarcity rather than an understanding of the nature of abundance, and the abundance of nature.

A realist could go on and on about the negative aspects of our reality - tune in to your local news at 6pm or 11pm for all the latest dose of reality, or you can stay tuned to CNN all day anywhere in the world to stay current with all the miseries and atrocities on this planet. You can let it get you really upset, angry, depressed, outraged, sad, disappointed, or afraid. You can keep watching, reading and discussing this reality until it causes you to feel anxiety, hopelessness and despair. You can let it make you so sick and tired that it inspires you to do something about it - to change your life, to change your world. Or you can just let it make you sick and tired.

An optimist would tell you to turn off your TV and look out your window. What do you choose to focus on and invest your time, energy and attention on? What is your reality? Some people are finding it difficult to maintain optimism in the current economy. Some would say that it was blind optimism that caused people to invest in homes they could not afford that caused this financial crisis, but the real problem has been the incessant media pessimism disguised as realism that caused the dominoes to keep falling. As a result, many people have lost a great deal and are now suffering and afraid, but sometimes we have to lose something in order to gain something by re-evaluating life and discovering what is truly important. An optimist would recognize that there is always an opportunity for things to get better, and as long as they believe that to be their reality, it will be. 

The truth is that whatever we put our focus, energy and attention on is what we invest in and empower. If you look for the worst in everything, you will find it easily, but you will guarantee yourself to experience the worst in life. This is the world that our media chooses to spotlight, but on any given day, there are millions more good things, good deeds, and good people in the world than there are bad - the news has to scour the entire planet to find an hour's worth of negativity, and the same bad news is often repeated over and over again to fill the time and drive it home. The bad things in the world are perpetrated and perpetuated by very few, yet we keep empowering them by giving them our energy and attention.

Look around you - are you surrounded by good people and good things? Do you do good deeds? Are you investing your time and energy in goodness? This is your reality, and this is your world. That is not to say that you should turn a blind eye to the negative things going on in the world, but you must focus on them in a way that somehow changes or improves the condition by using awareness to give you insight and inspiration. You cannot allow being "realistic" to make you miserable, angry or afraid, because this will lower your vibration and make you sick.

It is better to be optimistic than realistic, because optimism affects physical health. To focus on the best in life is to experience the best that life has to offer. Whatever you focus on is what you will experience. If I tell you to focus on all that is red, then everything that is red will stand out to you everywhere you look. Your outlook on life is determined by what you choose to look at and what you choose to look for. The more you look for the positive, the more you will see and experience the positive - because positives are abundantly around us; we can even find many positives in the negatives, if we are willing to look for them. This optimistic viewpoint is uplifting to the spirit, and is also uplifting emotionally. Even the news media has begun focusing on optimism in the age of Obama. As we experience greater optimism, it gives us a greater sense of wellbeing, which raises our energy and vibration, and supports our health. Conversely, pessimism attitudes tend to promote anxiety and depression, which can lead to high blood pressure, lack of sleep, poor digestion, heart problems, and a whole host of ills.

The greatest way to remain hopeful, centered and optimistic is to focus on gratitude for all that you have in your life, and to recognize that this Earth is truly and naturally abundant. The more you focus on gratitude, the more you raise your own energy and vibration, which raises the frequency of energy for the entire planet (gratitude can even raise the vibration and nutrition of your denatured food!). This is the greatest contribution you can make to the wellbeing of the Earth. The more you focus on fear, outrage, despair, etc., the more energy you invest in feeding the beast and perpetuating the problem of suffering, because these energies lower the vibration of the planet and contribute to her disease and imbalance. There are plenty of pessimists and realists in the world; you can help maintain the balance and wellbeing of the Earth and of yourself by holding the vibrations of gratitude, joy and wellbeing as much as possible.

If you find that you cannot maintain the energy of peace while staying current with world events, then don't stay current with world events. We are on the precipice of change, and in order for this transformation to occur, there must be change on a massive scale. Although some of these changes may appear to be triggered by terrible things, they are necessary for the evolution of humanity and the Earth. Humans only tend to change when they are forced to change, either out of fear or out of necessity, or both. Trust the change and all that is precipitating it, and help steer and direct this transformation with your positive energy and focus. When you see things that cause you sadness and despair, do not contribute more energy of pain and suffering - instead, send the energies of love, light and peace to all those concerned; send light to dissipate the darkness in order to make this world a lighter and brighter place.

You can also help by teaching others about optimism, and maintaining optimistic yet realistic conversations. Keep in mind that being realistic is defined as "seeking what is achievable or possible, based on known facts", and a realist is "somebody who is sensible, practical, and not concerned with abstract theories or idealistic views of life." Optimism is "the tendency to believe, expect, or hope that things will turn out well", and an optimist is "somebody who tends to feel hopeful and positive about future outcomes". Although it is better to be optimistic than realistic, they don't have to be opposites, and you can choose to be both.

The question is, what is optimism to you? The word "optimism" comes from the Latin word "optimum", which means "the best out of a number of possible options or outcomes". The future is not set in stone, and we have many options available to us. If enough of us opt for the optimal, most favorable or desirable outcomes, then we can optimize our options and possibilities here on Earth. To optimize not only means "to make something function at its best or most effective, or to use something to its best advantage", but it is also the archaic word for showing optimism. The worst outcomes are as optional as the best outcomes are. So dare to hope for the best, to focus on the best, and to invest your thoughts and energy in the best so that the best can manifest. An optimist is someone who tends to feel hopeful and positive about future outcomes, so even if everyone around you is a pessimist, or a realist, allow yourself to be unique, daring, optimistic and positive - and so be it.

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