Living in the middle of hope and fear:
"Conservatives are the party of toxic optimism. They’re recklessly overconfident, whatever their actual chances. That’s what you’d expect from a party run by religious fundamentalists who believe God is on their side. Blind faith is the supreme virtue, and admitting to any doubt is ferociously discouraged and will get you cast out.
Progressives have the opposite problem. We’re excessively pessimistic, often more so than the facts support. We’re overly susceptible to doom and gloom and catastrophizing. After bad headlines, I often find social media becomes unbearable for a few days, as people I follow engage in a collective lamentation.
I try to bear this in mind and calibrate my expectations accordingly. I find it’s most pleasant to live in a state of mild optimism: hoping for the best, but being prepared for the worst."
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Matt Campbell
in reply to Adam Lee • • •> Progressives have the opposite problem. We’re excessively pessimistic, often more so than the facts support.
Do you think this is a new problem after the shock of the 2016 election? I think a lot of us were optimistic that Trump would lose.
Adam Lee
in reply to Matt Campbell • • •