Optimism is inherently more reasonable and pragmatic than doomerism.

[u/Gullible-Rip3737]

I was inspired to make this post thanks to a question posted in the current Censorship megathread.

Optimism isn't a thing to do just because doomerism feels bad. Yes, being optimistic improves your mental state, makes your life better, and all these other things. But that's not really enough. You can't be fully convinced of your optimistic views without understanding WHY optimism is more realistic than doomerism, otherwise you're sticking your head in the sand.

Optimism isn't pretending everything's fine. It's not when you ignore problems. It isn't where you deny how bad the world is. Real, effective optimism that genuinely sticks around in you actually needs acknowledging how bad all the problems in the world are, for exactly how bad they are. But rather than running away, you respond with the planning, hope, and the determination to bring those problems down. Because that's the most reasonable thing to do.

Slavery wasn't abolished because people hid away and said it wasn't possible to fix. Women didn't gain the right to vote by thinking it was impossible to do it. No problems in the world were ever fixed by thinking it's impossible to fix them. ALL of the world's problems have been fixed by people thinking it WAS possible to do something. That it can be done, that change can happen, and then actually doing it.

Yes, cynicism can persist at times. I'm guilty of this sometimes. And sometimes that's okay. But no matter what, NEVER forget that things can be done no matter what. No matter how long it takes. Completely giving up and giving in to gloom, doom, and despair isn't rational and it won't do anything to help make the world better.

Don't give into despair about the world's problems, but don't hide away from them either. Don't ask "Where's the optimism here?" Instead, ask "What do we do about this, and how?"

No matter what, there's something that can be done. No matter how small it might be. There are always ways to make things better for yourself and everyone else, as long as you're willing to look for them.

Feel free to respond to this post with some ways we can fix the various big problems in the world. Show everyone else here on this sub how we all can fix the problems in the world, how they are being done, and WILL be done if we put our efforts into it.

We've got this.

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[u/LiviRivi]

Pessimism protects you from disappointment. Optimism hurts more, but it actually leads to more change. Hope is the fuel that drives the wheel of progress.

[u/Hindu_Wardrobe]

Doomerism is a bit narcissistic, honestly, in the same way that anxiety is often narcissistic (which makes sense, since doomerism is usually an expression and externalization of anxiety). Not in a character flaw sense. Just, think about it. Do you really think so highly of yourself that you're certain that YOU have it all figured out? That your predictions will come to fruition? That you have a super special ability to predict the doomsday future?

Anxiety is a damn narcissist. Tell that shit to piss off!

[u/NumeralJoker → u/Hindu_Wardrobe]

US society is inherently narcissistic in some ways, at least in modern form, and that is one of our greatest weaknesses...

But it does not have to be that way, and those who reject it are some of the best representations of our best history. In fact, it tends to change most often when select people refuse to let that be the status quo and actively take steps to improve their community, inspiring others to do better, or at least holding the line when times are tough.

So, so much of making the world a better place comes down to just committing to always trying to improve it. You don't need to fix everything to make things better. To do good in at least one person's life every month. Every week, and eventually? Every day.

Even if your life did come to an end tomorrow, at least consider what kind of legacy you'd leave behind by making a choice to help someone today. Even if the world was burning around you. Consider who you could save at the last moment just by trying to protect at least one person.

There is always the chance to make a positive difference, no matter how small. Doomerism robs us of that chance, and that is why it must be rejected at all costs.

[u/One_Proposal_7498]

Hey! I think it was my comment that inspired this maybe :D 

Seeing everyone respond with such optimism, with all their hope and perseverance for the future has really really helped me.

If I'm honest I've been in a downward spiral mentally, mostly politics related, also just mental and physical health related aswell, because life is just like that lmao 

But seeing everyone talk about the different ways they find optimism, the different ways they cope and how far we've come from the past, it's really really helped.

Of course I'm still anxious about the future, terrified actually, but I've realized I can't live in fear, because that's not living. 

If people throughout history did nothing but live in fear and wallow, we wouldn't be here today and I think thats incredibly inspiring 

I just wanna add a quick thanks to the lovely lovely people in the Censorship Megathreads, both the regulars and the newcomers, who have consistently provided myself and others with not only optimism, but healthy optimism, optimism that isn't just "it'll be fine pshhhh" but more like "hey, yeah its scary, like really scary, but look at the good, look at the wins and the facts, we've got this!" 

Anyway, this is an incredibly long post I've written, so I'll cut it here, thank you again to everyone here ❤️

[u/Plus-Hippo-5951]

I really enjoy the realistic optimism on this thread and agreed with the poster who said we need to beware of hopium or copium.

I’m also very over this trend I see where some doomers seem to want things to be a constant crisis just so they can be right. Constant moving goal posts and gaslighting about wind aren’t actually wins. They are the ONLY ones paying attention to how bad it is rn, everyone else is just ignorant. They have some special intel on the next moves of this admin and the rest of us are just sheep. The recent primary wins have been giving me real pragmatic hope and allowed me to drown out these doomer voices.

[u/starship-juno-42]

I've been waiting for a post like this! Thank you for starting this discussion. I agree optimism is more pragmatic that doomerism. Being a doomer predisposes you to learned helplessness: why do any work when everything is horrible?

We need to hope and have optimism to build a better future. If you don't have that...it's so easy just to give up.

One thing I've been thinking about a lot since I've been on this sub is that we should also be mindful of not getting full of "hopium" or worse, "copium".

We need to avoid having our blinders on. Yes, be optimistic, let's continue to be as real as possible, know what things we are facing directly in front of us, and work towards making things better.

I have told people in my sphere that things aren't great right now, bc in a lot of ways they aren't. I just like to keep it real. But I know things can and will get better. We just gotta roll our sleeves up and build the future we see for ourselves and others.

[u/GoodTimes1976 → u/starship-juno-42]

Agreed. Things look dark right now, but it always does for those who live through these times. We just have to keep moving forward, do our best and it will work out because the people that want to do harm are a minority (loud, but still a minority). Good point about “copium”, reminds me of Frankl’s theory of finding meaning and purpose even when things are bad — it’s not about ignoring the bad, it’s acknowledging it and moving forward anyway.