On the Basis of Cynicism, Realism, & emotionalism: My Personal View

Perhaps the most trying test a human being will ever have to face, is pain. We spend our lives trying to find a meaning for it , a purpose to make it all worth it. Hope. That’s what we tell ourselves in the midst of all our struggle, hope that things will some day, somehow get better. The morphine of the downtrodden. It is at best a type of stoicism, and at worst, a form of fanaticism. We try to be optimistic, to tell ourselves that things are all good all the time. That is a lie, a lie we tell ourselves to maintain our fortress, our sanctuary of peace, of ignorance from the pain of the violent,  volatile outside world. The mind is Like a rushing river, when it is agitated by the rapids of bottled up emotions, it becomes impossible to see through it, or to use its current to find your way to the accurate destination. If you try to dam it, to repress this force of nature, it will merely back up and obliterate everything in its wake! But, if it be allowed to unleash its mighty tears , to flow freely and ultimately abate, the mental maelstrom that hitherto had obscured your insight dissipates; the path becomes clear and the mind is sound to lead you down it. Optimism denies us that catharsis, as we create walls to externalize our feelings, our problems, to remain in the oasis of our imaginations as the cyclone thrashes asunder all corporeal things that affect us. For it is easier to ignore facts that conflict with what you desire, so the weakness in you compels you to optimism, an idiotic optimism! A state of thinking that will only bring you ruin as you eschew reality and all the things you can do to save yourself, and others, all to avoid the heartbreak of the truth. The fact is-as much as we’d like to deny it- we do not live in a kind world. The world is rife with war, poverty, discrimination, tyranny, oppression- in a word, pain. You must allow your heart to break, for your own good. Only then can you accurately assess how to deal with life’s innumerable obstacles. Eschew the notion of “hope”, it is but the morphine of the downtrodden, to numb the pain of, if not completely tune out from, reality. To  allow you to redouble your efforts without a clear goal. When you are confident, you do not “hope”, you expect. You “hope” when you are in doubt, you “hope” when you do not expect a good outcome, you “hope” in anticipation of failure. When you “hope”, you subconsciously create a self-fulfilling prophecy to fail. You cannot think rationally about your situation to find a way out. It is a dangerous irrationality! You must assess everything methodically and logically on the basis of facts and probability, only then can you take  the correct course of action. If the probability of success in one course is none, look for a recourse. If the probability of success is slim, and there be no recourse, and the cause be worthy and righteous, then risk it on a revolutionarily suicidal dash at victory. Do not be a fanatical optimist.  This is not to say be stoic, quite the opposite, rather you must allow the wall of optimism to fall as only then will you be able to feel the raging wind of your feelings. 

I know all of this because I’ve been in the same position as you many times. The stressors of this world permeating my body, obscuring my insight. Eventually, inevitably, I was forced to face them , to let these feelings wash over me in all their naked brutality. After which, I was always able to see the path.  Be emotional. If you’re a macho man, you don’t have to tell anyone, but be honest with yourself, that you have feelings. 

 I do not presume that this work will- or should- be taken as gospel, nor do I compose this as a personal attack on those who carry optimism as a personal philosophy. This essay is merely my personal opinion; imperfect as all man made ideas are, it is nonetheless unabashedly honest about the brutal reality-of reality. 

You cannot goes through this life without feeling pain, discomfort, rage, and even misery, but you must face them, friend, for your own good. I do not pretend to have mastered this skill myself. There are times when thing can simply feels too harsh to confront, but the fact is: you can’t stop a whole flood cause if you try you’ll simply get swept away, but you can channel it, and let it wash away your aimless uncertainties, and bring in with the tide solutions, and ultimately, tranquility.

Hope: a lie you tell yourself to submerge your emotions, to keep going on a hopeless endeavor.  Told with the subconscious anticipation of failure. 

Cynical realism: a realistic view of reality as toting more guns than roses. Seen through a combination of facts and probability, while being fully honest with yourself about your emotions.