The DEA moved wolves from Minnesota to Isle Royal in hope of balancing the animal population on the island. Last winter during the Polar Vortex, a she-wolf walked the 15 miles home to Minnesota over an ice bridge on Lake Superior.
The she-wolf is a perfect image of an optimist. She was lonely for home and when she saw a chance to escape she took it.
Who is happier a pessimist or an optimist? A pessimist is someone who is so determined not to be disappointed by fate that they choose to expect the worse. It works for them, because if things go well, they consider that a bonus and if not, they take comfort in being right. They think optimists are fools and have their heads in the clouds. An optimist is someone who expects the best. They think pessimists are sourpusses and killjoys. The major difference is that the pessimist has no hope while the optimist is full of hope. The wolf had no assurance that she would make it home, but she had hope.
We can wake up, grow up, ad get real. Jesus led the way. He was a realist. A realist is person who recognizes that neither pessimism nor optimism are acceptable positions. Instead realism understands that things just go the way they do and we need to be prepared for either. Jesus set the example that night in the garden. He asked God to spare him, but he acknowledged the very real possibility that God would not, and so he said, “Not my will, but yours.”
Jesus came to bring hope to the world. He is hope. While the emphasis on that hope has been life everlasting, the more valuable aspect is the trust in God that comes with hope. God never abandons. God loves us unconditionally. Knowing that, is how Jesus fulfilled his mission. We have the example; it’s up to us to follow it.
Pope John XXIII said, “God wants you to be happy in this life.” That was a revolutionary statement. Why would God want that? Because when we are happy we are kinder, more generous, more out-going, more caring and when it becomes evident to others that we are happy because of Jesus, we have made the connection that is true purpose of our lives.
Optimism is to believe that good actions create more good actions.
Pessimism is to believe that nothing we do makes any difference. That’s a dark view, with no hope. It is true that the world and society in general can give us reason to be pessimistic, but we can’t let it take over our lives. Like the wolf, we must hopefully press on.
Blessings,
Carol Lemelin OPA
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