[Zomboy]

Simple question. Is the glass half empty or half full? Is Schrodinger's cat dead, or is it alive?

I can say for certain that I am indeed a pessimist. But with the terrible hand I've been given in life's eternal poker game, it's not too hard to figure out why.

I want to become a little more optimistic, but it's too easy for me to see the flaws in everything. I do complain alot, too. I'm definitely the token tightwad in every group who gets upset when things don't go his way.

I'm hoping that a more positive atmosphere will encourage a more positive outlook. Right now it just feels like the world wants me to burn alive, and there isn't enough positivity to soak in to shake this feeling.

So which are you, and why do you feel that way?

Ready? GO!

 

[Humilis Curator]

I am an optimist to the death, until my fingers bleed. If all we see is darkness around us, that is all that we will see. We shouldn't be blind to reality though, when things are shit we cannot deny it. We cannot let the darkness dominate us though. Our minds are so powerful they have the power to do things beyond our imagination we can pull ourselves out of horrible situations. I was dealt a cruel hand early in life as well, a very cruel one. For 2-4 years I struggled with serious depression and low self esteem issues. I finally got sick of it and set myself on changing my situation within my own power. We are capable of so much as human beings that we don't even know we have. We just have to realize how amazing potential and grasp it and steer our life in the direction we want it to, even if you are stuck in a bad situation one can always have peace of mind, we can always work on ourselves and prepare for the day when we can break the bonds of our horrible situation that we are in.

We cannot shove our past away and forget about it because it is apart of who we are who we were and who we will be. We must find the good in things or everything amongst us will stay just as that, horrible. We must be the master of ourselves and wrest control from the situations that life imposes on us. We must take control of our life because for all we really and truly know, it is the only one we get. We might have more but we don't know for absolutely positively sure we get more.

"Everything happens for a reason, nothing happens for a reason. The means and ends in all of our ventures on this world are interpreted by us and it is us who give them negative or positive implications on our psyche. The universe is objective to us, we are subjects to ourselves and it is our humanity that will liberate us from the wrappings of the constant dull drum beat of life." - Humilis Curator

Invictus by William Henley

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

 

[Zomboy]

I was:

- Beaten by parental figures, teachers, and schoolkids alike
- Sexually molested as a child, twice
- Raised in an unstable environment that would change as we moved from house to house/as my mother would go through boyfriends
- Told I was stupid by my high school principal
- Sexually molested again by my landlord after I moved out for college
- Made "quirky" thanks to a cornucopia of prescription anti-depressants I was taking during my high school years
- Mistaken for a girl since I've been a child (might be why I've only been molested by men)

You've battled depression for 2-4 years? I've been manicdepressive since 13. I am 23 now. So that makes ten?

Granted, these are all excuses to keep my outlook. But damnit, I do want to be happy. I just want to move out of this place so I can forget everything that happened here.

 

[PaulH]

Zomboy - I can't adequately respond to your post but I didn't want to just post as if I was ignoring it. Some pretty terrible things there - I am sure you will find a way to heal. Just keep pushing forward.

Personally I am a long term optimist and a short term pessimist. I generally thing positive things about the future and where I am going. I am pretty skilled at spotting problems in the here and now. I try to use this to my advantage, to anticipate and mitigate issues, especially at work.

The glass half empty question always amuses me. Mainly bacause of the brilliant "far side" cartoon showing the 4 basic personality types:
1) The glass is half full
2) The glass is half empty
3) Half full... No! Wait! Half empty!... No, half... What was the question?
4) Hey! I ordered a cheeseburger!

Also I just don't think like that - in response to 1/2 a glass of water question my brain does this:

Is that really half? If it wasn't half would that change people's perception of the question?
What does water actually taste of?
Wonder where the glass was made and it's composition (then I get lost in trying to remember the melting temperature of glass)
if the glass was upside down and 1/2 full would that change a persons response to the question?
why a glass and Why not a mug?
I love the way light is shimmering off the surface

 

[Daveman]

I was:

- Beaten by parental figures, teachers, and schoolkids alike
- Sexually molested as a child, twice
- Raised in an unstable environment that would change as we moved from house to house/as my mother would go through boyfriends
- Told I was stupid by my high school principal
- Sexually molested again by my landlord after I moved out for college
- Made "quirky" thanks to a cornucopia of prescription anti-depressants I was taking during my high school years
- Mistaken for a girl since I've been a child (might be why I've only been molested by men)

You've battled depression for 2-4 years? I've been manicdepressive since 13. I am 23 now. So that makes ten?

Granted, these are all excuses to keep my outlook. But damnit, I do want to be happy. I just want to move out of this place so I can forget everything that happened here.

That's good that you want to be happy. You should want to be happy. I've known some people who just seem way too comfortable in misery.

I'm sorry to hear about the sexual molestation. As rough as I've had it, I have been fortunate to have never been physically abused in any way.

I have been perscribed anti-depressants, but I have never taken them. I don't know why. Something in me was afraid to. I just threw them away.

I may have come across as happy-go-lucky on here at times, but I still have self-esteem issues. Even though I feel confident that I can accomplish things if I push myself hard enough, I can snap back into self-loathing very quickly.

Recovering from trumatic events is a gradual process. Even if you reach a point where you feel that you have it all figured out as to what you "should" do, letting go is still a different thing entirely. I still think about my past too much, but I want to focus on the present and the future more. That want to gives me hope, as your want to be happy should give you some.

 

[Zomboy]

Which is exactly why I'm trying so hard to move out and go to Edmonton. I still live in the same general area where all of this happened. What do you think this place is going to remind me of?

It sounds cheap, but I need to get away from my past and fill my head with new things to distract me from what has been, and to help me look forward as to what's to come.

I just hope I can accomplish this, if it's the last thing I do.

 

[Daveman]

Which is exactly why I'm trying so hard to move out and go to Edmonton. I still live in the same general area where all of this happened. What do you think this place is going to remind me of?

It sounds cheap, but I need to get away from my past and fill my head with new things to distract me from what has been, and to help me look forward as to what's to come.

I just hope I can accomplish this, if it's the last thing I do.

You can do it.

I am also in a possition where I want to move somewhere else, but I have to take care of finances first.

I wish I was born in a different time period or at least in a different country. I am a college graduate with two degrees, and I can't get a job anywhere.

God bless, America! :dry:

 

[Zomboy]

And that's exactly why I don't believe in education anymore. Where is it getting any of us? I hear tales like yours all the time.

I wish I was born in a different time period too. A guy like me definitely is definitely better suited for the alcohol prohibition era. Oh, rum-running... What fun!

 

[mllesentiment]

I sort of see it as this. I'm almost certain the glass is half empty, (I've seen too much), but I feel as if I (or we as people) ought to fill it regardless of how we perceive the amount that's there. Even if some jerk comes by and punctures a hole in it then I'll seal it up and continue to pour not asking why he did it. Hope that makes sense :3

 

[nikkii]

Realist ........

 

[Unicorntopia]

I have to be an optimist because if I were not I would either be dead or killing others. Hope is the only thing that keeps me trying.

 

[penchant]

Realist ........

Boooring!!!!!
.
.
.
Sorry, couldn't help it... :crazy::crazy::crazy:

 

[penchant]

I'm sorry about your childhood... I can't even begin to understand... :sad: And I really admire your strenght to keep going and keeping a positive attitude to life. :happy:

As for myself, I'm very much an optimist for the long run, but can be very pessimistic about things short term, like for the rest of the day, or rest of the week... But then I'm also the guy questioning why half-full or half-empty should be understood as in reference to the size of the glass, and not to the intention of the person drinking. :crazy:

 

[pinkrasputin]

I am an optimist to the death, until my fingers bleed. If all we see is darkness around us, that is all that we will see. We shouldn't be blind to reality though, when things are shit we cannot deny it. We cannot let the darkness dominate us though. Our minds are so powerful they have the power to do things beyond our imagination we can pull ourselves out of horrible situations. I was dealt a cruel hand early in life as well, a very cruel one. For 2-4 years I struggled with serious depression and low self esteem issues. I finally got sick of it and set myself on changing my situation within my own power. We are capable of so much as human beings that we don't even know we have. We just have to realize how amazing potential and grasp it and steer our life in the direction we want it to, even if you are stuck in a bad situation one can always have peace of mind, we can always work on ourselves and prepare for the day when we can break the bonds of our horrible situation that we are in.

We cannot shove our past away and forget about it because it is apart of who we are who we were and who we will be. We must find the good in things or everything amongst us will stay just as that, horrible. We must be the master of ourselves and wrest control from the situations that life imposes on us. We must take control of our life because for all we really and truly know, it is the only one we get. We might have more but we don't know for absolutely positively sure we get more.

"Everything happens for a reason, nothing happens for a reason. The means and ends in all of our ventures on this world are interpreted by us and it is us who give them negative or positive implications on our psyche. The universe is objective to us, we are subjects to ourselves and it is our humanity that will liberate us from the wrappings of the constant dull drum beat of life." - Humilis Curator

You've battled depression for 2-4 years? I've been manicdepressive since 13. I am 23 now. So that makes ten?

I am very sorry for both of your struggles.

However, nobody should judge another's pain. But we can validate each other's pain.

There is no "my trauma beats your trauma". You just don't know until you walk in a person's shoes. We all have our mountains to climb.

There is personal strength in dusting yourself off and getting back up. There is strength in encouraging one another by saying "You can do it. I believe you."

 

[Hokahey]

I honestly more or less feel as a realist.

1. Who cares if the glass is half full or empty, am I thirsty? (then it's gonna be empty)
2. Also, a glass is never "full" (try drinking from it without spilling) in reality so it's honestly neither.
3. Constricting a question down to 2 options to test something that has several varibles is not accurate.
4. I'm a Detroit Lions fan, so parts of me is optimistic. haha
5. Do I think the world is coming to an end, NO. We will continue to evolve better and better, imo.
6. Is everything "great", NO. So you could say it's both for me, some things I'm down about, some things I'm not.

Just my 1 1/2 cents.

 

[Alaya]

Most people call me a pessimist, but I see myself as a realist. The outcome has the final say at the end, and, it can be positive or negative. It largely depends on what we do to get there. For example, an optimist might say "I'm pretty sure I'll do great on that test!", the pessimist would say "I'm pretty sure I'll fail on that test!". I would say "Did I study enough for the test?" If yes, "I'm positive that I'll do well on it." If not, "I'm positive that I won't do well on it.". As simple as that.

 

[bookwurm22]

In my own personal life I can be a bit of a pessimist. However, for everyone else I am a die hard optimist. Which incidentally qualifies me as a total and complete hypocrite.
Zomboy, I have total and complete faith that you can and will find happiness. The road there is not always for us to see, but I can promise that if you look hard enough there will be people holding lanterns for you in the darkness. You can never erase the past, but eventually it can become but a dim glimmer far behind you, and perhaps you will find strength from such trying and painful moments. I hope that you find yourself so immersed in happiness and love that you will never have to dwell in the past again, if only to say that you survived and you did not let it defeat you.
I don't know if this helps, but just know that you have someone standing in your corner with you, if only to remind you that you don't have to fight alone.

 

[Bright Laughter]

I'm an optimist, much to my chagrin. :crazy:

I'm an optimist *despite* life showing me differently. That's not a knock to anyone else or their lact of optimism because of life, in fact I've always felt like it was extraordinarily foolish/stupid for me to continue to be optimistic...like it was more of a denial of reality than being optimistic. But I no longer question whether that's the case or not, I'm very sure of my awareness of reality and all of the possible scenarios that could go wrong. I even come up with scenarios that couldn't possibly happen (& still worry and fret about them).

Just like a couple others mentioned - if I were to lose that - it would be disastrous for me to keep going in life (or very unpleasant for others around me) :tongue: Maybe this isn't the correct meaning of an optimist.

My personal definition--> is despite what life shows you, you continue moving forward (maybe after stopping to throw a temper tantrum, swear, throw...ahem... pillows, cry until you're hoarse), and continue to reach, grow, & improve yourself as an individual. Of course, modified depending on the individual, since we all have different motivators & values. But, not necessarily a happy, shiny, bubbly person. That's just plain freaky. :wink:

Soooo, in my view (which is what is *really* important here, after all :crazy, Zomboy - you ARE an optimist. Some part of you has refused to give up, despite what you've been shown.

 

[Zomboy]

I am very sorry for both of your struggles.

However, nobody should judge another's pain. But we can validate each other's pain.

There is no "my trauma beats your trauma". You just don't know until you walk in a person's shoes. We all have our mountains to climb.

There is personal strength in dusting yourself off and getting back up. There is strength in encouraging one another by saying "You can do it. I believe you."

I'm not trying to be competitive, though I know that's how it sounded. I always talk openly about stuff like this because I don't want it to bother me... I guess that in itself is a bad habit.

Zomboy - you ARE an optimist. Some part of you has refused to give up, despite what you've been shown.

When there are a thousand variables to any given situation, it's silly to think that there is no hope. There is always a way out, you just have to be lucky enough to find it.

 

[Daveman]

I'm not trying to be competitive, though I know that's how it sounded. I always talk openly about stuff like this because I don't want it to bother me... I guess that in itself is a bad habit.

Not at all. Get it off your chest.