It has been suggested in the past couple of days that I am a pessimist.  I don't think I am.  I think I'm a realist, but the suggestion got me thinking about the differences between optomism, pessimism and realism.

The dictionary defines optomism as : A disposition to expect the best possible outcome or to emphasize the most positive aspects of a situation.  Nothing wrong with that, I hear you say?  No, not at all.  But when optomism is a person's sole view, and when optomism isn't based on experience...well, a person can be setting themselves up for disappointment.  To go through life with a purely optomistic attitude can be likened to viewing the world through rose-colored glasses, in my opinion.  A little optomism is healthy, but too much can be disatrous.

The definition of pessimism is: A tendency to take the least hopeful view of a situation.  Nothing wrong with that either, right?  If you expect the worst, you won't be disappointed when things go wrong.  But seeing or expecting the worst possible scenario in everything you do is unhealthy, and is certainly not the way to win friends and influence people.  The eternal pessimist walks through life with a big black raincloud hanging over their heads when the rest of the world walks in sunshine.  Again, a little pessimism can be good; too much disastrous.

Which brings me to realism, defined as: An inclination toward factual truth and pragmatism.  To me, realism is a subtle blend of both optomism and pessimism, with  both philosophies based on personal experience and acquired wisdom.  The realist knows that life isn't always great, but also knows that it's not always disappointing.  The realist sees, and knows from experience, that sunshine will almost always follow rain, but knows too that into each life a little rain must fall.  Knowing this, the realist is able to equip themselves to deal with each situation as it comes and hopefully avoid the disappointment of a rainshower - and allow themselves to be pleasantly surprised when the sun comes shining through again.

Yes, there are eternal pessimists, and there are eternal optomists.  I don't think I'm either one.  I think I'm an eternal realist, able to see both the potential good and the potential disater in every situation - and be equipped to take both the bad AND the good.  To me, the optomist sees only the white, the pessimist only the black.  The realist, however, sees that things aren't always black or white, but that the world is grey, a mix of optomism and pessimism.

So, what are you?