mbalrog6 Posted March 18, 2017 Posted March 18, 2017 I have been having a thought rattle around my brain the last couple of weeks because of the people I work with. I work with a lot of people that have such a pessimistic view on everything, which is the opposite of me. I am pretty much the guy that everyone says is too happy all the time. I walk around with a smile and tell 'em do not worry the glass is half full. They will always fire back no it is not it is half empty. So I was watching something on YouTube, caught down the rabbit hole and half-way through the mushroom marked eat me... The video I was watching mentioned something about statistics how they can be used to make any point. That math can be used to lie to you, what they used to illustrate this point with was the glass is half full / half empty remark. They said that at any given moment you can look at the glass and if you measure it, it has 50% of its volume filled with water. At that moment it is nothing more then a statistic of 1/2, .5, 1:2. Anyone from either view point can look at it and impose their view on that glass of water, it does not change that it is true that it is filled to 50 percent of its volume. I got to thinking. It is out of context. What is important about half full and half empty is where it will be in 1 second from this moment. The half empty and the half full statement is more like a directional quality. It is calculus not algebra. It has a change over time a delta. It is this that makes it important. That in the next moment it is either going to be approaching a full glass or be approaching an empty glass. There is always this context that surrounds us and that context is time. When we chose to remove that context then we are not representing it accurately when we are using a statistic to predict the future. The future is time. To me this means that every person I see that makes that argument that the glass is half empty is making a very profound statement about themselves. It states that in the next moment the world, themselves, and everyone around them is going to worse. Worse how? Just worse in someway as we are all headed for an emptiness. It will only be worse by every passing second. To them tomorrow will never be a better day. They have given up. Then I was reading today "How to make friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnegie a book written in like 1936. He mentioned that William James said that action and emotion are somehow tied together. That since you have control of your actions you can influence your emotion just by your action. So if you want to be miserable just act like someone who is miserable and you will honestly start to feel that way. So these people who are claiming the glass is half empty, are walking the walk of a miserable soul. By taking that action William James is saying they will genuinely start to be miserable. A true self fulfilling prophesy. To wish oneself to be miserable, wow! I hope someday I can just get them to pretend that the glass is half full, maybe they just might have a good day! 1
plato85 Posted April 27, 2017 Posted April 27, 2017 Psychobabble. The glass is both half full and half empty. It's pointless reading anything which word someone uses. Optimism doesn't mean you're happy. Pessimism doesn't mean you're unhappy. Optimists are more likely to be disappointed. Pessimists are more likely to me pleasantly surprised.
jimofflorida Posted April 27, 2017 Posted April 27, 2017 of course the math is used to lie to you!!! that is the primary goal of statistics and the "slightly" more intelligent gain the ability to control the those that do not have a grasp on "the math". I think this is why there is big push for the arts rather than science, and you can toss out a statistic and nobody with ask "but coincidence does not imply causality" or "you have given me a percentage, but its a percentage based on what?" The important thing for you is to just make sure the glass is real and then you can use it for whatever you want!! A drink of bourbon, a house for a pet lizard or even a fish; its all up to you...
plato85 Posted April 27, 2017 Posted April 27, 2017 Be real. Choosing to be an optimist, choosing your emotions is curious US trait which irritates the rest of us :-p
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