Optimism

When reporting on world events, the news stations show wars, murders, crimes, and natural disasters in incredible amounts. Some would say that I am a pessimist, because I believe that the world will continue to worsen. But I try to be optimistic and work towards improving the world, or at least slow the decline. We are in difficult times, but I believe that we can face to the challenges before us and overcome them if we work hard enough. A story I once heard explains optimism very well.
A man had two daughters with very different attitudes. One saw only the good in life, and the other saw only the bad. One night, while they were sleeping, the father left a surprise in the room of each girl to see how they would react. The next morning, the pessimistic daughter screamed and the father went to help her. The pony the father had left was standing in the middle of the room and the daughter was hiding under her blankets. The father asked what was wrong and she said, “I'm afraid it will bite me!”
The father calmed his child then went to see what his second daughter was doing. He found her in the middle of the manure pile that he had left in her room, searching for something. He asked what she was doing and she replied, “Can't you see all this manure, Father? There must be a pony here somewhere!”
Do we complain even when there is no problem? Or do we find the good in even the worst of situations?