There are two kinds of Pessimists and Optimists - one that use their perspective to do something about the situation and the other that don't. The optimist that does not do anything is essentially a pessimist that feels that anything done changes nothing. Except with a veiled reality of utopia wrapped over his face by either ignorance or media stimulation. The pessimist that does something about a situation - well they don't really exist. If you are doing something about a situation on your own then you feel at least mildly optimistic about the result. If you still insist that you are a pessimist and are doing something about a situation then your "situation" probably does not exist and you are going monkey-tripe over a non-issue.
I struck gold in grad school when I entered the McKenna lab because I needed life lessons and Rob offered them in subtle plentifuls. Rob has been a very inspirational mentor and it has often come when I needed it most. In seconds, a dark mood is replaced by a bright one and it becomes time to change the playlist you are listening to. However we have had moments where my spirit has been crushed brutally and I am urged to listen to RATM for the rest of the day. Why does that happen?
Either out of a larger than life marketing of social icons by the media or a personal sense of fantasy, we romanticize a bit too much with a certain ideal personality in people that is never going to exist too long. Human society is not as evolved as your social bugs or even dogs to get past our imperfections. Romanticizing with an idea is a great high; that is what even got me writing this blog instead of staying in bed with Scoobie. But like all rehabilitated drug addicts will tell you, life cannot be run on highs.
So do I go listen to RATM at that moment? Not when AC/DC still exists on this planet! The point is that Rob never promised to me that he will be the Gandalf that I imagined him to be at my major moments of high. And getting disillusioned now would be of detriment to me and me alone. As my grandmother once said...well never mind what she said; there is always hope. Running away from a situation in a moment of weakness may sometimes involve a lifetime of justifying it with a more stupid idealistic plot or worse.
The important thing is that at least Rob is trying and bless him we need all of that and more. 'Talk happiness. The world is sad enough without your woe.' says a cheap poster on my bedroom wall. My dad bought me that when I was 8. He probably saw me go through this phase after experiencing my first real earthquake.
However it is not entirely wrong to romanticize, in fact it is very important to do that! That is what will drive you towards a certain ideal, build your personality and keep you sane. But it is important to be detached from it enough to save yourself for the future when it does not work the last time you tried. That is exactly what gets Rob from doing something destructive when he stops smiling. All he does is go into a shell and come out a butterfly.
It does not matter what drives you to do something to help the situation, debating ideals really gets you nowhere. What would be real useful though is to be working towards them continuously and consciously. You are never really going to marry Johnny Depp but I am sure if you got the chance to do so it will be a lot less fun than it was in your dreams. But with a little detachment, your life could be pretty cool just the way things are.
So don't get annoyed at that person that smiles a bit too much just because she has too many facebook friends. She is probably doing something right. On the worst day of your life if you laugh at yourself before you go to sleep, all is well.
