Is a pessimistic world view healthy?
I have an extremely pessimistic world view I shall admit. When I look at the world. I see civilizations built upon layer and layer of destruction, misery, and betrayal.
I see humans as being easily gullible and misled.
Every society, civilization, and every empire has murdered, slaughtered, sacrificed, torturtured, enslaved, sexually used, oppressed and scorned those of other societies and even within their own borders.
Why should I have any love for anything? This world sucks, one has to be willfully blind to see this world as a happy place.
Only a small minority of people on this oversized rock have true compassion and love in their hearts.
I can't say that I'm one of them.
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Is a pessimistic world view healthy?
I have an extremely pessimistic world view I shall admit. When I look at the world. I see civilizations built upon layer and layer of destruction, misery, and betrayal. I see humans as being easily gullible and misled. Every society, civilization, and every empire has murdered, slaughtered, sacrificed, torturtured, enslaved, sexually used
~~~ And you even ask if all that crap is 'healthy'?
You have been out of the 'healthy' loop for a long time!
All forms of health; physical, mental, emotional, spiritual... is based on unconditional Love!
Anything else is insanity!
No, dear, that is far from 'healthy'!
I think being somewhat pessimistic is healthy as it can help look at the world in a different way. However being pessimistic does not always give you the truth as an individual can still be emotionally blinded from the world. Being too pessimistic is not healthy from my eyes.
I think being somewhat pessimistic is healthy as it can help look at the world in a different way. However being pessimistic does not always give you the truth as an individual can still be emotionally blinded from the world. Being too pessimistic is not healthy from my eyes.
Both extremes of pessimistic and optimistic world view are unhealthy if they lead to either desperation or inaction because both our mind and body need positive action to remain in good shape..... the pessimistic view would automatically become realistic if one channelizes it into actions for improvement within and without, however insignificant or difficult it may seem, and as we proceed this way, our view also gradually improves and shifts from being too extreme.
Ask yourself this: in your everyday activities – shopping, eating at a restaurant, in a bank, hanging out with your friends, going to the movies, walking around in a shopping center, interacting with family, just taking a walk, etc – does EVERYONE relate to you in a way in keeping with your claims? If not then your statement makes no sense whatever.
That our species breeds a small number of evil people is for certain. But to make the claims you do requires ascribing such ideas to essentially everyone – and I think you are completely mistaken and I also believe that, if you look at your views objectively, you’ll have to agree with me.
A friend psychiatrist of mine once made a pithy observation: “If you have **** on your glasses the whole world will look ******”. YOU create the view of your world; the people of the world are, for the most part, not hell-bent on making your life miserable. YOUR world does not include the entire planet.
You need to shed this nihilistic view of the world; if you can’t you’re in for a rough ride. A good start is to stop spending time with people who do nothing but spew this sort of nihilistic thinking. Deciding what TV shows to watch, what music to listen to (RAP is all violence and anger it seems to me), what books to read, what computer games to play, etc, all influence and mold your perspective - choose all of these carefully and very selectively.
Sounds like a pretty healthy view of humanity to me.
You could just as easily focus and concentrate on the good stuff.
But since one has to kinda' come up with a consistent personality trait that anchors everything, I think it's okay to lean toward one or the other, since to be both equally is a tough juggling act, but…
I think it's best to be whatever the situation requires to meet reasonable thinking standards.
Look on the bright side…
…there are no sides.
Extremes are rarely healthy. As a relativist I see both the good and the bad. How we perceive the world is a matter of perspective, if you do not like your world view then perhaps seek a new perspective.
I am a supporter of pessimism. It is a philosophy that probably saved my life. But I am happier now without it.
I want to propose a different formulation. I believe in cynicism. Expect the worst but stay open to the possibility of good. Do not wed yourself to one narrow viewpoint. Pick and choose each day the attitude that gets you the best outcome.
I would say that pessimism can affect brain function, and that the brain will reinforce what it thinks by strengthening such pathways within itself. The pessimism becomes automatic thinking, and this is not good for mental health, and is indeed a part of depression.