I am an optimist. I would even go so far as to say that I’m
optimistic to a fault. As far as I understand it, “to a fault” colloquially
means “a whole lot,” but more directly it means “so much it changes from a
virtue to a vice.” How is that possible?
Optimism, at least the way I understand and practice it, is
very forward-looking; it focuses on the future, happily anticipating all of the
great things to come. Optimism says that tomorrow is going to be a great day,
that things will always get better, that you should move forward in life with a
smile on your face and a bounce in your step, eager to discover the future and
all it will bring.
An unfortunate side-effect of optimism (at least in my case)
is a lack of appreciation for the past. I tend to think that the past is something
to move out of as I go towards the future, a time that I am striving to get
away from. The past is a time when I had greater sins and greater flaws than I
have now (and certainly than I will have in the future, since optimism also
means constant improvement).
A few days ago I read through the first few blog posts that
I ever published, from my freshman year of college. As I read I was startled to
find that not everything I wrote was uninteresting, sad, or regretful; in fact,
I would even go so far as to say I enjoyed
reading what I had written. I even found some of it to be witty, funny, or
wise. I had the feeling that if present-day Jason were to meet freshman-year
Jason, we’d get along well, because he was decently cool, after all.
Sure, I’m happy to be who I am now and not who I was then. I
wouldn’t give up all of the positive changes I’ve made over the last three
years for anything in the world. However, it was good for me to recognize that
the past still has value, to realize that some things that have already been
done are as great and wonderful as the things I am doing now, or will do in the
future.
I plan to continue being an optimist. I like optimism; I
think it’s a very happy way to live. However, I also hope to temper my excitement
for the future with a healthy remembrance and appreciation for the past. That
way, the wonderful past and the brilliant future will keep me centered in the
fantastic present.
2 comments:
I like this!
Great post! I feel like as I read over old journals and blog posts I learn so much about myself- the bad things that teach me from negative experience, obviously, but also many good things. More than once I've come across a wise insight or idea that I'd completely forgotten, and that has helped my present life in some way. I definitely think there's a reason that the prophets always tell us to write things down!
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