The above quote is a lovely little poem about optimism and pessimism. But I think it is about more than just that.
I am constantly amazed at how two people can look at one event and come up with two different ideas of what is going on. How you look at any situation is based on your past experiences and future expectations.
Take our two prisoners from above. Could it be that the one gazing longingly up at the stars is finding his escape in beauty or God? Or is it just as likely that the one staring at the ground is looking for a more terrestrial means of escape...perhaps a weakness in the prison or even a key dropped by a negligent guard? Two possibilities in one event.
It sort of makes sense. I mean after all, there is night and day, left and right, up and down. But is one view point innately better than the other? I don't think so. It could be that looking at a problem from a different angle might give you an insight in how to correct it or make it work for you.
The same goes for those wonderful optical illusions we have all seen. It all depends on how you look at something. Do you focus on the light or dark of a situation? Is it a problem or an opportunity? The correct answer is of course that it is both... and neither. It is what you make of it.
Personally I prefer to play the roll of the optimist. I want to see the silver lining in the clouds, but I know full well that in order to do that I have to suffer the storm. We all know that it takes a little rain to make the rainbow.
Read more: http://technorati.com/blogging/article/nuggets-of-wisdom-it-is-all/#ixzz12ArD4cYU
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