Pessimism as a worldview? A religion even? Possible?

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makegod2020
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04 Apr 2012, 9:19 am

Maybe I am just longing for something to cling unto.
Something that define who I am. A kind of "Way of Life".

I find that my body is by nature of the cautious and pessimistic side.

If something can go wrong then it will at the most bad situation.

sorry not a direct quote. A variation of the famous law of pessimism.

So what is my take of being a pessimist?

I trust that each pessimist is absolutely individual and personally
very different from all the other pessimists. I don't trust there exist
a Church of Pessimism and if there where one none would join.

Asked about it the true Pessimist would say. A Church for us Pessimists
is bound to fail so no motivation to join or to create one. I am a True Pessimist!

Maybe there exists reluctant Pessimists that would have the wishes that there
should exist such a Church but none of these would have the talent to create
and organize one.

So what is it to be a pessimist ?

One always expect that things go wrong and tend of the breaking apart
or screw up or brake lose or that one lost it all.

And usually one are not only right it is even worse than what the pessimist expect.

The latest big Tsunami in Japan confirms that they had not been pessimistic enough.

They trusted the walls would be high enough to stop a likely tsunami. Now they know.
Sad story indeed.

If you know about a Church for Pessimists or if you have the skill and talent
to create and run one do take contact with me so you have at least one member.

PS you may wonder if Pessimists believe in gods? I fine it most likely they
would answer. There is maybe no god to believe in. Would be too optimistic
to believe such would exist.

And if we create one it would be a very faulty god after our pessimistic fashion.



ruveyn
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04 Apr 2012, 10:36 am

Any one who is not a Pessimist simply does not understand what is going on..

ruveyn



thedaywalker
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04 Apr 2012, 11:13 am

if pessimism was the way to go the universe would have never taken it's leap into existence.



MissConstrue
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04 Apr 2012, 11:32 am

Well at least it's more practical than daddy in the sky who gives optimism for those who feel blessed (never experienced His wrath).


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Oodain
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04 Apr 2012, 12:13 pm

ruveyn wrote:
Any one who is not a Pessimist simply does not understand what is going on..

ruveyn


i would say pessimism and optimism are relative to the current situation,

an optimist might full well recognise and lament the issues of today but their attitude towards them would be different than a pessimist.


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makegod2020
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04 Apr 2012, 1:54 pm

I think Oodain point to something important.

Attitudes and ways of seeing things and how to relate to life emotionally
and intellectually.

I fail to remember the exact saying but it's like this:

The Optimist have had fun anticipating the best
even if it all fails in the end.
The Pessimist have had a hard time knowing it will fail
even if it surprisingly would succeed and fail to be happy.

Roughly like that. I hope I am a reluctant Pessimist.

Those wants to be happy optimists and I actually act
like that some of the time. But usually reality is way more
worse than I even feared it to be. Things that should have worked
does not work at all.

Now as a life stance it is a bit like the book I did not buy.
But stood reading a lot of it at the book shop.

The Positive Power of Negative Thinking:
Using Defensive Pessimism to Harness Anxiety
and Perform at Your Peak [Paperback]
by Julie K. Norem

Now I have no idea if the book live up to the claim
or if the author has really done any deep research
but it was fun reading in it. I could agree to some of it.

she claim that she have met several that use that strategy
to cope with life. "Using Defensive Pessimism to Harness Anxiety "
Most likely that is how I use my pessimism too. I am too optimistic even.

I expect too much even as a pessimist. It is always worse that even my nightmares.



ruveyn
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04 Apr 2012, 2:14 pm

thedaywalker wrote:
if pessimism was the way to go the universe would have never taken it's leap into existence.


The Universe is not sentient. It has no motives. Most of nature is non-alive and is as dumb as a sack full of rocks.

ruveyn



makegod2020
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04 Apr 2012, 3:24 pm

ruveyn wrote:
thedaywalker wrote:
if pessimism was the way to go the universe would have never taken it's leap into existence.


The Universe is not sentient. It has no motives. Most of nature is non-alive and is as dumb as a sack full of rocks.

ruveyn


ruveyn maybe thedaywalker used those words metaphorically?
I only guess. I agree that the universe hardly can have consciousness.

I know that being an optimist makes ones life more fun
but unfortunately for me that makes me overly enthusiastic
and get too high expectations and anticipations and the fall
drive me into a long depression so strategically it is more wise
for me to try to be realistic about my own abilities and lay low.

Even to be participating in the forum is way above my capacity.

I neither have the brain nor the emotional stability to cope with
all the feedback. I get easily overwhelmed by negative criticism.