Obtaining Optimism

1655: 

Edited by CJ Tointon

Are we generally optimistic about the future? Do we have reason to be? I'd say most people are pessimistic about the future - but it's a self-fulfilling prophecy. If enough people see the future in a negative way, the collective consciousness will complete the job of self-destruction. Maybe we won't be around to see what happens; but why should that influence what we do today? With the 'ME NOW' attitude, it's likely we'll not care about repairing what our species has done. We're either concerned for the future or we're not. If not, we're being spectacularly selfish.

Selfishness is an expression of pessimism and as such, is one of the main mistakes we humans make. Pessimists are insecure; the most selfish of whom devote their lives to seeking pleasure, comfort and security wherever they can find it without thinking how it will affect others. We're all selfish to some extent. We say: "Make hay while the sun shines" because we don't want to miss out on anything. The thought of tightening our belts and imposing personal disciplines is not something any of us want to do. Even less do the selfish want to be concerned about global issues or the future of the planet.

Ideally, we'd prefer to coast along and initiate no changes to our own lives or to the improvement of anything which doesn't benefit ourselves directly. But the warnings about 'systems collapse' are everywhere. Our ecosystems, our economies and our ethics are going downhill rapidly. Most of us realise that something has to be done - if only to relieve our own pessimism. But we ask the questions: "If I do it, will you do it too?" and "It would be crazy for me to ignore the warnings; but why waste energy trying to repair the irreparable and depleting my energies?"

If we do make advances in consciousness and begin to act for the greater good, what do we expect? If we see nothing improving, or find that our efforts are not being noticed or appreciated, we may never complete our changes. We'll just be lumped together with everyone else as not addressing our problems because we don't care enough. We'll be seen as ultimate pessimists and feel it is the ultimate put-down. But why should that influence us at all? Do we act just so we'll be recognised? Can we be part of great paradigm shifts if we're only worried that others don't understand?

One such shift concerns the ethics of using animals for human advantage. In our Society, 'Animal Rights' represents an early state of an advanced consciousness; yet most people haven't even heard of the idea, or don't take it seriously if they have. For most people, whenever certain animals are spoken about, it's always in the context of their being made into food. When others are mentioned, it's connected with their being companions for humans. Others they link with being research animals or entertainment animals. With such a weight of context and connection, it isn't surprising that most people find the idea of animals having 'rights' strange. Freedom might be fine for wild animals; but they can't imagine letting those that have been 'domesticated' have freedom or no longer be tools for human use.

Unless this mindset changes, so-called domesticated animals will remain as slaves and humans will be disabled by being their slave-masters. Above all else, this will hold humans back from advancement and will solidify our pessimism. The way we use animals will always be a stain on our collective conscience and it will continue through the generations as has been shown so far. Younger people today might breakthrough this mindset; but it will need great conscious effort on their part. And still the majority will remain stuck. Every older generation will continue to plead for understanding from succeeding generations; whilst every new generation will blame the last for being irresponsible. They, in turn, will leave the same legacy to the next and so it will continue without there being any substantial change in human nature or optimism. 

The most important thing to change in our world today is - human nature! And that's the one thing that still eludes us, for the selfish gene is possibly the strongest drive we have. We've been weakened by taking advantage of our 'big brains' to undermine our ethics. We grab at every advantage possible; the worst being the enslavement of fellow sentients, be they human or non-human. Nothing seems to stop us and there seems to be no repercussions. We've become used to the 'live now, pay later' attitude because it appeals to the most primitive part of our pleasure-seeking brains. It's been going on for a long time; but now is 'later' and we're feeling the pain of the 'paying'. We'd prefer that this  payment be delayed until after we've gone from this world - the ultimate irresponsibility based upon our just not caring what happens to our world fifty years hence.

This is the ugliest face of pessimism and the weight of such a cynical outlook crushes the possibility of how things could be. If we are to survive and thrive as a species, our pessimism can only be turned around if our selfish natures can also be turned around. Obviously we must deal with personal problems first, but we shouldn't become so overwhelmed that we fail to consider global problems too; even if they seem too huge for us to directly influence. The pessimism connected with feeling overwhelmed might make us want to give up, to revert to type, to remain selfish. But if we do remain selfish, we'll only be able to tend the needs of self, thereby ensuring the continuation of the status quo.

If we are pessimistic today, it's because we can't see how the 'big things' can be fixed or how the mega-destructive people can be stopped! If we want to cut a swathe through all of this, we must personally stop supporting everything we don't agree with. There's no other starting point. It might be uncomfortable, inconvenient and unpopular; but the alternative road only leads back to stagnation. If others are slow to change, we should not use this as an excuse, but as a reason to stimulate our own programme of boycotting all we disagree with. There might be some initial discomfort, but from the actions we take now, the buds of optimism will certainly open.