I look at the glass half-empty. But, I will tell you, if you think me a pessimist, I can't help but question your logic.
I was born a skeptic, which is precisely why I question why it has apparently come to pass that the aforementioned is a perception of pessimism. Consider that by viewing the glass as half full, one’s emphasis is maintained on that which is accomplished. It is as if to suggest that we ought be morally satisfied and content with half a glass by failing to address the existence of the emptiness which resides in its upper half (i.e., potential).
Conversely, if we turn our attention to that upper half of the glass; that portion which is empty, have we not then addressed the optimism while recognizing the potential of such emptiness?
It reminds me of a legendary quote from the Irish playwright Bernard Shaw:
“Some men see things as they are and ask why. Others dream things that never were and ask why not.”
13 comments:
So you are saying that the optimist looks at the half empty glass and tries to think of how best to fill it to the top then?
Bingo!
If you merely look at the portion that's already full, it's almost as if your saying to yourself, "hey, look at that. Look at what I've accomplished."
For a great many, it sort of ends there.
See this is the true benefit of my online experience, I never ever thought of the glass half empty like this. You are unique in so many ways, Soapie, so glad I have met you!
Why thank you Beth. And as you well know, I as well am glad to have met you!!!
Half full? Half empty? ..semantics
describing either side of the equilibrium. Now, if it's volume
is 50% occupied by oh, say, brown ale......
I love beer but I never got into that brown ale. Well I guess more specifically that Newcastl Nut Brown Ale. It was the only beer I wasn't able to finish a 6 pack of.
But, your point is spot on BB. Of course, if it was full or half full, it'd be empty real quick. Of course that would raise the optimistic prospects of it becoming full once again.
Semantics indeed.
By the way, thanks for dropping in. Hope you've enjoyed your stay.
Apologies for the 'beer' turn of the thread: When I've been 'back east' I've tried NewCastle, but up this way brown ale is called Moose
Drool http://www.bigskybrew.com/process/ourbeers.html
I got started on it trying to blend in with the very conservative
population [loggers, miners, ranchers, hunters, fishers..] I am so good at blending in, I got a gas-guzzling pickup that stops at Pizza Hut & Burger King. I tried the cowboy boot thing but kept tripping...that macho stuff only goes so far. If you had a few bottles of MooseDrool sitting around, the libs (and likely the ladies) would leave you alone!
Idaho is a very red state and like a lot of the mountain west, the folks are that type of GOP we might term 2nd Amendmentcon...
Glass half empty/full and red states reminds me of a peculiarity about federal income tax: the amount going out of a state vs the amount received back in federal
services, aid etc. At
http://www.taxfoundation.org/research/show/22685.html there is a lot of data for each state on the subject. The peculiarity is that GOP voting states get back more than they pay, while the dem-voting states pay more than they get back. Could it be richer states are liberal? Could it be
GOP states are getting rewarded?
Is it just a coincidence? Guess
I'll ponder that in the Ram 4WD
heading over to resupply the MDrool inventory.....:)
I was aware of those statistics from the Tax Foundation (you'll notice it is listed under the Political Portals section at right).
Pay not mind to diversions from the subject matter herein. I'm hardly a zealot when it comes to staying on topic. Chalk it up with ADD/ or the ubiquity of stimulation in the world of today.
Besides, that is the course and nature of dialogue is it not?
Hi all,
My mother has always been a positive thinker, yet I actually developed an aversion to the whole idea of positive thinking because I like to complain once in awhile and when I do, I like someone to take the time to listen and not just tell me that I need to have a positive attitude.
If positive thinking means don't ever complain and don't ever talk about negative things, than how are we to solve any of our negative problems? If positive thinking means avoiding dealing with the negative, than this is more like avoidance and denial, than like positive thinking.
As I've pondered these things, I've come to similar conclusions as Soapbox, yet I don't know if I've ever heard it explained quite that way.
Hi BB,
I see you're making your rounds. I never did develop a taste for beer. If I drink anything, it is champaign, wine or some mild mixed drink, but it's quite rare that I drink.
Oophs! Forgot to check the email follow up box.
Champaign...lol. I still have the bottle of champaign that was given to us when Kristie and I bought our house (3 years ago come June).
Wine I do enjoy and as for mixed drinks, well...I like bloody marys and a few others.
But nothing says "Good God I'm glad to be done with that manual labor (especially given it was 90 degrees in the shade)" like a frosty bottle of beer.
Like I said, I mostly don't drink. Had a sip of beer once and didn't like it. I've been exposed to wine and champaign only because it is common at business meetings. I try to keep it to only one glass, but so often they fill your glass up without even asking you, the minute it's "Half Empty". lol.
I don't like being in a setting like that and not being able to concentrate on the conversation. I prefer feeling alert. I can be a little spacy at times anyway and have enough trouble remaining focused as it is without help from alcohol.
As to mixed drinks, I've had Strawberry dac or is it daqu...? See that? I don't even know how to spell it and can't find it in the dictionary.
I've also had a Chi Chi once in Hawaii. That's similar to a Pina Colada.
Rum is a really neat thing to cook with. There you go. That is the full extent of my alcohol knowledge. Aren't you impressed? lol.
I do a fair amount of Caribbean based cooking. Thus, I use a fair amount of dark rum in it.
I do the vast majority of my drinking at home so I don't have that problem with having to carry on conversations with any other than Kristie. But, I've been in those situations so I see what you're saying. Of course most everyone else is buzzin' too.
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