There are some very serious problems that deserve the cold light of day.   Smiling vacantly while crooked CEOs and terrorists rob and betray us solves nothing.    Confronting these problems is a thankless task because the sad and hateful result usually seems to be a conspiracy of silence.   It’s maddening to see America’s enemies steal jobs, oil, technology, and our happiness.

Not everyone sees things this way and there's a reason. It’s because while some people have a good side others have a better side. There are haves and have-nots. That’s one bloc. The other bloc includes both people happy with a lots of stuff and people happy with little. What they really like is working hard and getting things done they can be proud of.  Taking this stance is rewarding. It attracts enough of the fellow optimists that the jealousy of the class warrior counts for little.

This is pretty much what’s called the Protestant (or Puritan) work ethic that’s made America great, and it bears noting that we’d all do well to keep track of which side we're on.  It's just not healthy to covet other peoples' stuff, and there's no benefit to be gained by hating others or wanting bad things to happen to them.   Pessimism is not just bad for one's spirit and health; it's also bad for the wallet. 

Optimism works great.  A couple years ago when I stopped lurking and started freepin', I thought I’d clue in the doom'n'gloomers as to where they were going wrong.   I put up an about page that showed why the economy was actually in pretty darn good shape and showed why better times were ahead.  Naturally I believed it enough to invest accordingly --my family is glad. The fact that there seem to be more doom'n'gloomers than ever is something I can live with.

Optimism is a good approach to understanding other conflicts.  Take this 'oil crisis' we’ve been hearing about (please).  If it's really true that those mean old oil companies are making excessive profits, then let’s get together and own one.   Anyone can buy oil company stock (freepmail me for my picks).  

As more people buy the stock, our oil company's borrowing costs will go down, and our company will be able to afford to lower oil prices, increase market share, make bigger profits, and the bidding on the stock will continue to soar

Optimism for the future and faith in the general goodness of other people works in understanding lots of what's going on these days.   It's also easier on those around us.  Even though it seems to take a bit of effort to get into this mindset, other arenas of life end up taking a lot less effort.