Pessimism 101

Stay away from negative people,

they have a problem for every solution.

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Do you know someone who lives in a seemingly colorless world that breeds gloom? It’s downright depressing. Expressions of “why me?” fill the thick air of a room they’re in–scarcely evidenced by oxygen. You can’t take a deep breath into your lungs when you’re around them for fear of looking like you have life within you.

When tackling a life-problem, it’s tough to ask advice from such people. Their dismal outlook on life takes you down to the mat, shoulders plastered to the ground, leaving you wondering if there is any hope. And what is it like to live with someone like this? Your bottom lip would be raw from biting it and you’d need to take stock in an aspirin company from a chronic headache caused by gritting your teeth…as advice would frequently roll off their sharp tongue.

Do not be misled: “bad company corrupts good character.”

I Corinthians 15:33

Whoever would foster love covers over an offense, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.

Proverbs 19:6

Being a part of a group of good friends, I’ve learned that MY bad company has the potential to corrupt the good character of the group of friends I hang out with. If I cannot love over an offense of one of my “sisters” then I will put a wedge in our group and we’ll split up. Is our group of friends worth it? Of course! The lesson: don’t be bad company and corrupt not only your good character but those around you as well.

How easy is it to complain about how you have been wronged somewhere? Pretty easy, I’d say. How many times do you take that coffee or fast food receipt and threaten to blow the employee away on the survey? But what about the inverse? How many times have you sent in a survey stating the good deed or simple smile of an employee that unexpectedly made your day? Probably not near as often as a bad report.

Take the time to respond to others in love rather than making more problems. It is just not worth it to be a “Negative Nelly Know-It-All” type of person. Find solutions to problems by acting in love, not problems for solutions by being a dark, cheerless pessimist.