The Reasons We Need Pessimists - Connor Reynolds

The Reasons We Need Pessimists

We are always hearing from experts that we should be always positive and happy/optimistic, but there are times when we need that negative person/pessimist.

• When people live in a false euphoria they don’t use logic. A pessimist is someone who is AWARE. They know the world can suck and they can handle it. They’re more practical than you think. They just want everyone to USE LOGIC! There’s no hiding from the truth. We need to stand up and deal with what’s going on. If we can’t do that we’re not helping society.
• Pessimists not only complain about problems but also accept them and deal with them. The world needs these people to be overcomers and problem solvers.
• Pessimists are realistic about their abilities; they know what they can and can’t do. The quote “The time we stop expecting, is the time we start working,” tells that you get done what you need to do by hard work and not by chance.
• Pessimists are the people who expect the worst or just don’t expect anything. That way they are rarely surprised or disappointed.  “Pessimist: One who, when he has the choice of two evils, chooses both.” Oscar Wilde
• A pessimist lives in the present not in the past or the future. They don’t live in the imaginary world of a possible future, but are content with what they have and work to make it better.
• Alone and lonely do not correlate when it comes to pessimists. It’s their choice to be alone and they handle their own problems, unlike an optimist who hasn’t accepted their adversities.

It may seem that pessimists hate life and don’t care about anything, but that’s not true. They, just have another outlook on the world. My teacher shared some quotes with me about pessimists. Included below are my favorites.

“I will be the first to admit that I am a pessimist by nature. It is, after all, the wisest way to be. We pessimists have everything to gain, whereas optimists have a fifty-fifty chance of being disappointed.” 
― Tamar Myers, As the World Churns

“I like pessimists. They’re always the ones who bring life jackets for the boat.” 
― Lisa Kleypas, Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor

“There are moments when everything goes well; don't be frightened, it won't last.” 
― Jules Renard

“A pessimist is a man who looks both ways when he crosses the street.” 
― Laurence J. Peter