What does it mean to be a realist? (Or an optimist)
A realist is someone who can look at things as they are.
Not as they would 'like things' to be.
Optimism and realism are not mutually exclusive.
Far from it in fact.
The realist deals with problems in life in a practical way.
Artists and philosophers - are both realists - They like to see life in its crude, raw form.
'Ugly' and 'beautiful' are observations, not paradigms -and not bias's- that are used to form a reality.
As a realist, you see the world 'as it is'.
This mean having the ability to view all sides of an issue from a very objective perspective.
Realists are not as swayed by unconscious bias or idealistic aims.
(The very things that easily sway other people's opinions).
They try to see the truth of things - and prefer it unvarnished, without any veneer.
They're concerned with the behaviors and the motivations of people.
(it helps to gauge actions in the real world).
The positive characteristics of realists:
Clear-headed.
Grounded.
Objective.
An ability to differentiate between fact and fiction. Reality from illusion.
(have a very good sense of perception).
An ability to predict the outcomes of various situations. This is due to being based in observing what is, not what 'should be'.
Because they have the ability to tell things exactly as they are, their vision is not distorted by fantasy, wishful thinking , or willful blindness.
The world is a continually fascinating place to inhabit - with an unending variety of events and mechanisms to explore.
Realists know how to plan.
This means that being practical in what you think you will be able to accomplish. They tend to be prepared for the difficult times - so when 'plan A' doesn’t work out, plan B is ready.
Realists adapt to changing environments.
Realists can be mistakenly seen as pessimistic.
Dreamers - those not based in reality tend to get annoyed by the realist.
Realism disrupts the dream state.
Because the realist is able to see situations in the real world for what they are, they might not always have positive things to say.
They see through people....and are not afraid to speak their mind.
Due to the ability of accurately predicting future trends, in the way that your peers just didn’t see, it can be an effort to keep yourself from saying, 'I told you so'.
(This can make the realist come across as a 'smart ass' to the those unable to comprehend the message given to them in good faith).
It's no coincidence that marxist-postmodern- ideology, running through the educational institutions, frame the above in the way they do. It's a TOTALLY FAKE paradigm - and designed to demoralize.
People don’t want to hear practical, real advice that's given , especially if it interrupts their own illusions and biases.
They then project their own failings back onto you when they've chosen not to listen.
And when they suffer the real world consequences of not listening, the psychological pain is deflected back onto the person giving the good advice (as a way to mitigate their own emotional turmoil, and ego crushing event of being wrong).
Being very practical and realistic in life generally, the realist takes things easy.
The future brings hurdles but that is an expected event, not a surprise, to the realist.
Rather than stressing over or feeling anxious about what the future might offer, realists live in the present.
They try to enjoy every moment that life has to offer.
They do not live in fear.
Neither does the optimist.
When people want the truth, they come to you.
...And when people don't want the truth - they'll go out of their way, to find ways to avoid you.
Realists don’t shy away from the truth and are not afraid to tell things like they really are.
Realist are mistakenly seen as brutal.
Being a realist doesn’t mean that you are brutal. It simply means trying to be efficient with time.
Why bother with a thousand words - a 'word salad'- when two hundred words will suffice?
Efficiency is important to the realist.
This can come across as being hurtful, or rude, or brusque - when in reality it's nothing more the being time conscious.
It's no coincidence that modern day dreamers, having been brought up in an illusion of reality, (one in which you will be cared for as an adult socialism) can find realists offensive.
It's no coincidence that when 'the shit hits the fan'i.e - when reality bites - it's the realist that becomes the 'go to guy'.
Realist are the ultimate optimists.
Optimism doesn't mean faith.
Optimism doesn't mean 'hopium'. ('hopium' quiet desperation).
Optimists do not love to stick their heads in the sand and ignore reality.
You probably already know this - but I’m an optimist.
Even as I type, my understand that my optimism (and being a realist at the same time) - has been completely misunderstood.
Not only by strangers, but by some of the closest people that I've had in my life.
Let me try to clear some things up.
Contrary to the stereotypical beliefs of 'optimistic naivety' we're fully aware of the bad things that can happen in our lives.
Even more so - as an 'optimistic realist'.
We know that shit happens. Durr.
The difference is in how the optimistic realist chooses to deal with those things.
Optimistic realists acknowledge the reality of the situation. That can be far from easy for a lot of people.
Look for the nuggets of positivity in any given situation, is not ignoring reality - it's deciding on the best way to see things (without blinding yourself).
More importantly, it involves taking action towards a better outcome.
When faced with life's harsh challenges is when the optimistic realist really shines.
Instead of saying, 'this sucks, I’m screwed', the optimist will says, “this is shit, but I'll find a way to make it better'.
The difference might seem subtle to some people, nothing more than play on words - but in actuality, the difference is enormous.
A 'Grand canyon' size chasm, kind of enormous.
It requires a great deal of mental toughness and resiliency to be an optimistic realist.
Working these mental muscles goes on to build further mental toughness.
An optimistic/pessimistic, dreamer requires no fortitude in the self - just an ability to ignore reality.
...and that's car crash just waiting to happen...
As I said earlier, optimistic realists are fully aware of what’s going on in the world around us.
More than most people in fact.
It’s just that this doesn’t stop us from making the choice to expect good stuff to happen, and to believe that things will 'work out'.
Not based on blind faith, but fully on understanding the world and how it works.
Defining optimism:
A tendency to look on the more favorable side of events or conditions - and to expect the most favorable outcome.” -Courtesy of Dictionary.com
What’s so unrealistic about that - when any given situation has already been mapped out, and the many of the various contingencies, have been calculated into the picture?
As an optimistic realist - I've always believe that things are going to work out for me.
Why?
Because, in over three decades of living life as an adult, and living with this mindset - I see it manifest itself before my eyes, on a continual day to day basis !!!
That is evidence enough for me , and how to live my life.
No matter what it is that you think that you want out of life, you have no idea if it will ever happen - or not.
No one can predict the future.
We have a very real choice , one that we all need to make in our lives.
We can either expect things to work out for us, (hopium), or we can expect things not to work out for us (pessimism).
None of us know what will happen, so it makes logical sense to focus our expectations on what we want to happen.
Reality doesn't change - but our perceptions of that reality make all the difference to our quality of life .
Many times - when I've expected the best outcome in a given situation- it works out far better than expected.
This works in conjunction with, not in conflict with - being a realist.
Being an optimistic realist, means laying the foundations in advance, to maximize the chances of a positive outcome in any given situation.
Those foundations include having the optimistic mindset.
