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I got into a conversation with my friend Katie today and she could not decide if I was being a pessamist with what I said, or a realist. I pointed out that the 30+ years that I have been alive in Canada have not been great (politically) and sudjested that it was difficult to desern the difference between the two now. She then pointed out how she is an optimist.

That got me wondering if you can actually be a realist and an optimist in today’s political climate, or if that was an exercise in futility? Please, indulge me as I try to take my own logic apart!

To begin, one of the definitions of a realist (according to google) is “a person who accepts a situation as it is and is prepared to deal with it accordingly.” It would be nieve to look at the riots and social unrest in the states in anyway but an issue, regardless of how you look at it.*

With that in mind, would you be considered a pessimist for knowing what is wrong? Or would it come down to your actions next?

I am of the mind that if you look, think that nothing will change, and move on: you’re a pessimist. With that in mind, even the intention of doing whatever little you can would make you an optimist simply because you want to change something. Whether you just post a status on your social media of choice, share a video of someone stating an opinion better than you can, or even admitting that you wish you knew what to do to someone. One could argue that change starts with awareness. If you notice something that you think is wrong, even telling someone “hey, the system is broken” might be enough to start a dialogue.

A pessimist would declare that it wasn’t there problem and move on with their day, in that instance. Not admitting there is nothing they could do, just internalizing the idea. They wouldn’t reach out to anyone, and they would just accept a status quo, no matter how broken and pathetic it is.

I might be conflating optimism, pessimism, deflection, and defeatism. I just had to rant and ramble to try to make any sense of what’s in my brain. I’m frantic, shut up!

*There is no right way, or wrong way. Just an observant way, and a wrong way.