What I consider one of the great mysteries of life is how grumps—you know, the Eeyores of the world—are thought shrewd. Realistic. Practical. Even wise.
In truth, they are powerless and their demeanor is pointless.
I get where pessimism and cynicism come from. Ego produces vanity, vanity breeds fear. Of being regarded as naïve, wet behind the ears. A pose is struck. Skeptical. Sarcastic. Scornful.
Naysaying and second-guessing and badmouthing are defense mechanisms. Despair is safe. Hope is risky.
Here’s the thing, though. The world belongs to the optimists and idealists. Always has, always will. Nothing has ever been accomplished by those convinced it can’t be done. No armchair quarterback has ever gained a yard or scored a single point. With hope, failure remains possible, sometimes even probable. Despair makes it certain.
Undeniably, we face many intractable problems. As I wrote in my very first Substack essay, we are living in a state of emergency. Not one single emergency, six all at …
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