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Chaotic Neutral

Member

Registered: 2005-10-31

Posts: 55

Optimism vs pessimism

Optimist: after rain comes sunshine
Pessimist: after sunshine comes rain

Now we apply a semantic equation and see who is right.

After rain comes sunshine ≈ After school comes vacation

As we know that after sunshine comes rain again, we state: After vacation comes school.
The second one has more than one answer: after vacation (the final one) comes work, and it has smaller vacations, more to do and less free time.
Then the optimist replies: but after work comes retirement, the golden years, when you can travel, enjoy life, .....!
On which the pessimist answers: but after retirement comes death.

Last edited by Chaotic Neutral (2006-01-12 09:21:27)

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As at night, we realise we will never Know and further thinking is pointless....Yet we start again and again

MathsIsFun

Administrator

Registered: 2005-01-21

Posts: 7,713

Re: Optimism vs pessimism

But in the meantime comes plenty of [enter what you like here] ... !

BTW Optimists have better health, and even better "luck" in life.

And you can change yourself from pessimistic to optimistic ... it can be a fight, but optimism can win ... and it is better for you!

Other stuff I have read:

When pessimists fail they blame it on themselves and give up.
When optimists fail they look at what caused the failure and carry on.

And, is this an old Russian Joke:

"Life is harder today", says the pessimist
"But easier than tomorrow!" replies the optimist.

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"The physicists defer only to mathematicians, and the mathematicians defer only to God ..."  - Leon M. Lederman

mikau

Member

Registered: 2005-08-22

Posts: 1,504

Re: Optimism vs pessimism

Yeah first comes birth, then school, then marriage, then death. Thus if you don't marry, you'll never die! ;-) marriage will kill you!

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A logarithm is just a misspelled algorithm.

Ricky

Moderator

Registered: 2005-12-04

Posts: 3,791

Re: Optimism vs pessimism

I've always said an optimist hopes for the best and gets disappointed.  A pessimist thinks the worst will come and gets pleasantly surprised.

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"In the real world, this would be a problem.  But in mathematics, we can just define a place where this problem doesn't exist.  So we'll go ahead and do that now..."

mikau

Member

Registered: 2005-08-22

Posts: 1,504

Re: Optimism vs pessimism

Yeah, sadly pessimests always end up being right about something.

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A logarithm is just a misspelled algorithm.

Chaotic Neutral

Member

Registered: 2005-10-31

Posts: 55

Re: Optimism vs pessimism

You can extract happiness from pessimism. Exactly like Ricky said.

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As at night, we realise we will never Know and further thinking is pointless....Yet we start again and again

VR Hawks

Member

Registered: 2005-11-26

Posts: 401

Re: Optimism vs pessimism

I think pessimists have better "luck" in life. Why? I've tried it out before. If I don't give hope to things, strangely and surprisingly, there is hope in that thing. If I give hope to it, it hardly does have hope.

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Name :: Vincent Raider Hawks
Gender :: Male
Birth Date :: July 4 , 1970

MathsIsFun

Administrator

Registered: 2005-01-21

Posts: 7,713

Re: Optimism vs pessimism

Well, research has shown that optimism is better for you in many, many ways.

So, in theory, pessimists should have died out long ago. Perhaps pessimists get out of the way of danger faster?

Optimist: la-de-da, lovely day isn't it? CRUNCH

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"The physicists defer only to mathematicians, and the mathematicians defer only to God ..."  - Leon M. Lederman

MathsIsFun

Administrator

Registered: 2005-01-21

Posts: 7,713

Re: Optimism vs pessimism

I've always said an optimist hopes for the best and gets disappointed.  A pessimist thinks the worst will come and gets pleasantly surprised.

But a true optimist greets disappointment with "Ah well, doesn't matter, ... hey let's try this!"

And a true pessimist greets a pleasant surprise with "yeah, but I bet it won't last"

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"The physicists defer only to mathematicians, and the mathematicians defer only to God ..."  - Leon M. Lederman

mikau

Member

Registered: 2005-08-22

Posts: 1,504

Re: Optimism vs pessimism

Optimist: la-de-da, lovely day isn't it? CRUNCH

LOL! Thats hilarious. What was it that crunched him? A giant bug seeking revenge?

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A logarithm is just a misspelled algorithm.

Monox D. I-Fly

Member

From: Indonesia

Registered: 2015-12-02

Posts: 2,000

Re: Optimism vs pessimism

And, is this an old Russian Joke:

"Life is harder today", says the pessimist
"But easier than tomorrow!" replies the optimist.

Wait, if that was the optimist's reply, didn't it make him a pessimist instead because he thought that tomorrow would be harder than today?

I've always said an optimist hopes for the best and gets disappointed.  A pessimist thinks the worst will come and gets pleasantly surprised.

You're totally right. Back then when I was still an optimist, my hope got crushed constantly and I was often thrown in despair. Now that I have became a pessimist, I don't really care anymore and just prepare for the worst. Life is easier once I became a pessimist.

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Actually I never watch Star Wars and not interested in it anyway, but I choose a Yoda card as my avatar in honor of our great friend bobbym who has passed away.
May his adventurous soul rest in peace at heaven.

RussL

Member

Registered: 2016-05-24

Posts: 19

Re: Optimism vs pessimism

Retirement = knee surgery on Day 1 = misery for the past year when it didn't heal right = depression for lost dreams = despair = ...wait a minute... one day the sun will blow up and burn everything up anyway = I don't give a rip = forced optimism by deduction.  Not really, but one can only sink so low before bouncing back, I guess.  Actually, I'm a Realist = take my telescope out at night, take the dog to the woods in the daytime, play my guitar, and try not to worry.  Besides, if the sun goes soon I can watch it in the scope (with a filter, of course).  Best cure for da blues is to do something, anything.  If you do nothing, nothing gets done.  When something gets done I feel better.

thickhead

Member

Registered: 2016-04-16

Posts: 1,086

Re: Optimism vs pessimism

After sunshine comes rain is optimism, at least for Mumbaiites now.

Last edited by thickhead (2016-05-27 15:40:28)

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{1}Vasudhaiva Kutumakam.{The whole Universe is a family.}
(2)Yatra naaryasthu poojyanthe Ramanthe tatra Devataha
{Gods rejoice at those places where ladies are respected.}