inherent optimism
I am sorry this entry is a bit rushed and poorly written, but I wanted to post it today.
Last night I watched the DVD “Forrest Gump” for the first time.
Over the years, I have heard a lot of references to this movie, but I never had any interest in seeing it.
However, my 13 year old daughter rented the movie …. and to be honest, I liked it – I especially liked the character of Forrest Gump, someone who is inherently optimistic without purposefully, trying to be optimistic.
One scene in particular ….
…there is a storm coming. Although all the other shrimp boats, to be safe, stay anchored or docked up in the port, Forrest Gump and his buddy go out into the storm with their only shrimp boat.
The storm, one of the biggest ever hits hard, but Forrest and his buddy ride it out and remarkably survive.
When Forrest motors his boat back into port, he discovers all the other shrimp boats have been completely destroyed in the storm.
The next scene shows him catching loads upon loads of shrimp, thus his shrimping company is launched and it quickly becomes the biggest in America.
If Forrest had listened to those people around him who were scared of the storm…. Or if Forrest had been less optimistic, he wouldn’t have adventured out into the unknown….
irronically, if he had kept his boat anchored at home, he would have lost everything.
although its just a silly scene in a movie — It is interesting to think about.
dhs1550
I enjoyed the reference to Forrest Gump. It was a splendid movie that all should watch because it is heart touching and show’s how a man with learning difficulties could stand up for others when it counts and positively change the lives of others.
I am sure we all have been on either one end of the spectrum at times being highly optimistic and at times being downright pessimistic. CSR hit it right in the centre by describing the protagonist in the movie, being in his words “someone who is inherently optimistic without purposefully, trying to be optimistic.”
However what interest’s people in general is to understand the psyche of the genuine optimist. On the top of your head what constitutes character traits of a genuine optimist and the same for a serial negative thinker. We all know pessimistic people and we have all been one at one point of time or the other, are people who focus on negativities; everyone has a hidden agenda in bringing them down leading to warped perceptions of loyalty etc. and ulterior motivated kindness. The opposite is also true of optimistic people they have a heightened sense of loyalty, kindredness, and unconditional kindness.
Nevertheless, perhaps I mechanise something humane like optimism but I sincerely believe it’s a skill set like any thing that needs to be developed and can be developed. CSR can you delve from your experience and citing experiences of other optimistic people what areas of one’s life can be improved to regain a sense of belonging and inherent optimism to climb the proverbial mountain of success that seems elusive to the masses.