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Pessimism vs optimism and ASD

Trainspotter

Hi all

This is a bit of a rant and it is not referring to Pessimism to the extent that it causes great anxiety, but to the pessimistic vs optimistic character.

I am constantly labelled a "Pessimist".  I prefer the term "Realist"  Constantly having people supposedly jolly all the time around me I can find annoying. 

I hate this 'glass half empty' thing.  I have told people when they say I'm the 'half empty' person that it depends whether the glass is being emptied or filled..  Example: Do you want a top up.  Answer: No, my glass is only half empty.  That to me is not being negative.  However, if the glass has just been poured and stopped before it is filled:  Why is my glass  only half full? That to me is a negative.

Imagine a news story: "Good news, there was a very bad train crash today but only five people were killed!"  People would be horrified at the insensitivity of that, yet it is the 'optimistic' point of view as many more could have met their demise.

I'm sure there are 'optimistic' people with ASD as well as pessimistic ones.  But why do people insist on putting labels on people and then using it as criticism.  We are what we are!  Some of us try to consider that there may be a downside to some things instead of 'everything will turn out ok'.  Considering that there may be a downside is surely better than being led down an alley with no thought as to what awaits you at the end. 

My 'pessimism' is me and no amount of negative criticism from optimistic people will stop it or 'cure' it!

  • Some quotes:

    The man who is a pessimist before forty-eight knows too much; if he is an optimist after it, he knows too little  (Mark Twain)

    The point of living, and of being an optimist, is to be foolish enough to believe that the best is yet to come (Peter Ustinov)

    The optimist proclaims we live in the best of all possible worlds, and the pessimist fears this is true (James Branch Cabell)

    A pessimist is someone who has been compelled to live with an optimist (Elbert Hubbard)

    If an optimist had his left arm chewed off by an alligator, he might say, in a pleasant and hopeful voice, "Well, this isn't too bad. I don't have my left arm anymore, but at least nobody will ever ask me whether I am right-handed or left-handed," but most of us would say something more along the lines of "Aaaaah! My arm! My arm!" ~Lemony Snicket

  • I enjoyed the gag, which is an ironic comment on the tendency of Aspies to take things literally. 

  • Maybe because people on the spectrum tend to be objective and pay attention to detail and accuracy they simply cannot ignore the negative aspects of a situation.

    To be an optimist I think you have to be able to ignore, or at least downplay, the negative side of things, kind of like hoping things will work out. But with Aspies they have a tendency to analyse situations carefully which means having to take into consideration all aspects of a problem leading to risk assessment. This can be one of their strengths but, unfortunately, it means they have a hard time kidding themselves that things will always work out fine.

    Maybe just being too aware prevents Aspies from being natural optimists Other people can seem to dismiss things from their minds and not worry about them but with Aspies they are very good at worrying - it's in their nature - therefore they are compelled to see all angles of life and that includes, I'm afraid, the undesirable ones.

    It's no wonder the medical profession attracts the most Aspies (I gather) because such an important role demands individuals with a high degree of analytical ability in complex situations.

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous

    Do they emply aspies at Microsoft...?

    A helicopter was flying around above Seattle when an electrical malfunction disabled all of the aircraft's electronic navigation and communications equipment. Due to the clouds and haze, the pilot could not determine the helicopter's position and course to fly to the airport. The pilot saw a tall building, flew toward it, circled, drew a handwritten sign, and held it in the helicopter's window. The pilot's sign said "WHERE AM I?" in large letters. People in the tall building quickly responded to the aircraft, drew a large sign, and held it in a building window. Their sign read "YOU ARE IN A HELICOPTER." The pilot smiled, waved, looked at his map, determined the course to steer to SEATAC airport, and landed safely. After they were on the ground, the co-pilot asked the pilot how the "YOU ARE IN A HELICOPTER" sign helped determine their position. The pilot responded "I knew that had to be the Microsoft building because they gave me a technically correct, but completely useless answer."

  • Former Member
    Former Member

    I love that.  And I heard something to the effect of, for a chap, the glass has room for a double gin and ice.

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous

    I guess I'm the optimist - but that has lead me into a few too many disasters.

    Have you heard this one? To a pessimist, the glass is half empty, to the optimist it's half full. To the engineer the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.