Sunday, June 08, 2014

The Optimistic Pessimist

I was listening to a podcast from ABC Sunday Nights (Sustaining Creation) and was struck by this comment:
"We have to have pessimism of the intellect and we have to have optimism of the will. And that sort of optimism as an act of will is a very powerful place to be... It's hope as an act of will. There's no point in pessimism at this time."

It reminded me of a quote a friend shared recently:
"When asked if I am pessimistic or optimistic about the future, my answer is always the same: if you look at the science about what is happening on earth and aren't pessimistic, you don't understand the data.
But if you meet the people who are working to restore this earth and the lives of the poor, and you aren't optimistic, you haven't got a pulse."

That very much reflects my own experience - as you might have noticed here on the blog. Understanding the enormity of climate change can be quite disheartening, but seeing the kind of ideas and solutions that are possible is also very exciting.

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