Optimism

"Do not go around lamenting to others how hard it is for you to live in this world. To do so is an act utterly unbecoming to a worthy man. (WND, 850)"

I don't know about you, but every day in school, I face people whose only hobby seems to be whining about the state of their lives.

There is a whole variety of these tales, that range from "Oh no! The school bookshop ran out of colourful pens! How will I ever get through this day?", to "Oh no! I got one question wrong on the math exam! I'm going to fail!", to "Oh no! I can't wait for the next episode of Gossip Girl to be shown!"

Being only students, our view is obviously limited, and some may argue, much more shallow. But then again, how much deeper are the problems that you or the people around you face? If you think about it, what problems are truly impossible to overcome?

Perhaps you feel very stressed at work (I sure do, at school!) and it seems like the work just keeps piling on, and on, and on. It seems like it will never end, and you don't know how you'll cope with the inflow of work.

But to some people, that work which you so hate could be a symbol of happiness for them. In the recent economic crisis, many Singaporeans lost their job-- but even though all that stress has been removed, they find themselves in an even worse state than before! Let's face it, would you rather be working under stress, or not be working at all? Worrying about how to complete your tasks at the moment seems so much easier than worrying how to survive the next day.

So I believe that situations are not inherently difficult, or bad, or terrible; but rather it is our mindset that makes them so. Think of the case of Pollyanna. Pollyanna was a girl who had been taught by her parents since childhood to find happiness in her life. So even though her father went bankrupt and she had to leave him to live with her aunt, she saw it as an adventure and was happy. When she was mistreated by her aunt and forced to live in an attic, she still managed to find happiness in her life. And even when she lost the use of both her legs in an accident, she still managed to keep her optimistic outlook towards life.

Pollyanna is a fictional character, and I know that in real life, things rarely pan out so nicely. But that doesn't mean we can't strive to be like her. Instead of sitting around complaining about the situation, let's try to change our mindset towards that situation. View it as a challenge to overcome-- after all, what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger :) Once we change our attitude towards life, I believe life will be much easier for all of us.