Optimistic? Pessimistic? or Fatalistic

[APeacefulWarrior]

There's an old Buddhist parable about a wise man walking on a road between towns. A stranger rides past him, and asks him about the sort of people in the town up ahead. The wise man asks the stranger what sort of people were in the town behind them. The stranger says, "Nothing but a bunch of lazy ne'er-do-wells who won't lift a finger to help themselves." The wise man says, "You will find more of the same up ahead."

The stranger rides on, and the wise man keeps walking. A few minutes later, another rider approaches, and asks the same question. When the wise man asks him about the town behind them, the rider's response is: "Oh, they're a wonderful people, very giving and hard-working, totally salt-of-the-earth."

And the wise man assured him he'd easily find such people in the next town.

Being optimistic or pessimistic has far more to do with the individual than any objective evaluation. We almost always find what we seek, no matter the circumstances we find ourselves in. The cynic will find reasons to justify their cynicism, and the optimist will find reasons to justify their optimism. Such assumptions will inevitably lead them down very different paths to very different destinations, even if they're sharing the same road.

The real question, as I see it, is simply: Which destination do you wish to reach?