A Cynic, A Pessimist, And A Realist...

Cynicism is, for good reason, almost a taboo belief. Its bottom line is that everyone has ulterior motives for everything they do every day. Ergo humans by nature are untrustworthy. These are the people that believe the waiter intentionally only half filled their glass. Pessimism is when one focuses on all the negative aspects of a given subject, forgetting or denying the positive. These are the "half empty" type. Finally, there is Realism. Realism is, potentially, the coldest of the three. They see the glass just as it is. They know that though it is unlikely that the waiter has a vendetta against them, they allow for it. They see their glass as the first of many potentially glasses of varying volume, because life by nature is consistent only in being inconsistent. There are no miracles, only what can happen will happen. Every day we meet these characters, sometimes when we look in the mirror in the morning. Each is passionate about their belief may often attempt to force them on you. At each encounter, after analyzing the argument you must decide what type of person you are. Pessimist or Optimist? Realist or Idealist? It may surprise you just how inconsistent you may be. An optimist with a run of bad luck may begin to develop pessimistic thoughts of his future. Similarly, an idealist may be forced to come to grips with the reality of his situation or be condemned to be trapped in a dream world. As you trudge through the balmy marshes of everyday life remember this truth: Nobody but you decides how you react to each situation. You are the master of your mind and you are free to change it or not whenever you like.