I really wish that the death of one of the most optimistic people I have ever heard of would bring the death of seeing cynicism and pessimism as virtue. I am the kind of guy who is always thinking and planning for the worst thing that can possibly happen. I am not a big fan of catastrophic surprises; however, I am also aware that you can’t plan for everything and that ultimately you don’t have a lot of control. There is one thing that can be controlled though and that is your view of the world and how to project that view to others. Even though I try to plan for the worst and am occasionally sarcastic, I am always optimistic.
Randy Pausch died today from pancreatic cancer. It’s sad, but his impending death prompted him to take action and do some really positive things that I think will ultimately be bigger and more important than him. If you haven’t watched the speech you really should.
I mentioned a few of his quotes to a friend of mine today, and his response was was an immediate and short, “Yea, I hate that shit.” It totally took the steam out of me. Without knowing it he completely pulled the rug out from under my mood. It was a perfect example of why that kind of cynicism is so useless to the world. What was just an offhand comment to him completely pissed me off. I wonder how many situations that would otherwise be everyday type situations are made completely sour by people with shitty attitudes. I can’t say I am perfect. I can be as negative as the next person; however, I don’t claim cynicism as a virtue the way many people do.
Dr. Pausch had all kinds of little anecdotes and sayings that provided a glimpse as to how he saw the world. They allow you to see the world from his optimistic perspective. It’s a refreshing view if you’re constantly around people who think it’s cool to have a shitty attitude. It’s honest. It doesn’t assume the human condition is screwed up beyond repair. That kind of optimism is inspiring. I have another friend who likes to point out that the world isn’t all butterflies and rainbows. He uses that as a way to justify the way he views and interacts with the world. It’s not my place to try to change his mind about that kind of thing; however, one can be optimistic without thinking the world is all butterflies and rainbows. He sees things that are wrong or unfair. I see things that I need to fix. It’s an important distinction.
I’m not saying people need to always be happy. That’s ridiculous and probably unhealthy. How do you understand happiness if you haven’t been miserable? I can’t say that I’ve been truly happy very many times in my life. That being said, looking at the world honestly, openly, and with a mind to fix the things that you can and accept the things that you can’t is the right way to look at the world. The people who actually make waves in the world have this mindset and everyone else is just riding those waves.
Now for a quote from my favorite author because irony is different than sarcasm but can be just as funny…
“The world is a fine place, and worth fighting for.” -Ernest Hemmingway
