The Optimist vs. the Pessimist

An optimist sees the best in the world, while a pessimist sees only the worst. An optimist finds the positive in the negative, and a pessimist can only find the negative in the positive.

For example, an avid duck hunter was in the market for a new bird dog. His search ended when he found a dog that could actually walk on water to retrieve a duck. Shocked by his find, he was sure none of his friends would ever believe him.

He decided to try to break the news to a friend of his, a pessimist by nature, and invited him to hunt with him and his new dog. As they waited by the shore, a flock of ducks flew by. they fired, and a duck fell. The dog responded and jumped into the water. The dog, however, did not sink but instead walked across the water to retrieve the bird, never getting more than his paws wet. This continued all day long; each time a duck fell, the dog walked across the surface of the water to retrieve it.

The pessimist watched carefully, saw everything, but did not say a single word.

On the drive home the hunter asked his friend, “Did you notice anything unusual about my new dog?” “I sure did,” responded the pessimist. “He can’t swim.”

… Author unknown

2 Responses to The Optimist vs. the Pessimist

  1. darrin coolie says:

    that’s was so funny, there are many people that looks for the negative,but the optimist people will all ways surpass them.

  2. Ano Nymous says:

    I think most people do not value and cherish the small things in life enough. Suppose, for example, that you can’t find your keys one morning before going to work. This hampers you enough so that you miss the bus, arrive late at work, and have to make up for it by working longer in the afternoon when you really want to go home.

    Most people shrug this off with perhaps an irritated comment such as “Aw, such bad luck, I hate when this happens”, and that’s it. I think we should get better at taking such small hassels to their fullest potential, thinking about them now and then through the day, gnashing our teeth, and really saturate our minds with our bad luck. Irritation and frustration propagates easily – all you have to do is try.

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