Dear Editor:

We define optimism based on how we view potential and desirable outcomes in life events, in school, in new jobs, or even in the weather. We have friends and family members we call optimists because they seem to find or see the good side of events, even when they have experienced a bad situation. We believe they were born that way and if we were not born that way, we wish we were. The good news is science is showing that pessimists can become optimists.

Psychologists call this positive thinking or someone who always sees the glass as half-full rather than half-empty.  The opposite would be a pessimist. Winston Churchill's famous quote said, "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”

There are hints of optimism in our songs, like “Don’t look back in anger.”

Anger tends to hide optimistic opportunity and turns our minds away from solutions. This popular UK song served us well for 60 years.

UCLA’s group of optimists is made up of people who take on any challenge and find solutions to any problem. People for whom excellence is a way of life are called optimists. And every day, our lives are made better by something they have discovered, improved, invented or created.

Optimists look forward into the future  anticipating new possibilities and prepare for unknown events.  Some create the future they can see, like Apple’s Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak.  Others set goals of where they want to be in 10 year increments. 

Optimists have no borders that stop them from solving problems. It does not matter if the problems are medical cancers, or immigrants, their positive approach leads to effective answers. Positive attitudes spring to action from love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.  That’s because there is no law against such things and these things drive creative action.

The power of optimism does no harm because doing harm is against the law.

Perhaps we need more optimists?

Jarryl Larson

Edgecomb