We have 1 guest online
Current Weather in Toronto:-7°C 1022mb
Home
Is The Glass Half-Full or Half-Empty? PDF Print E-mail
User Rating: / 2
PoorBest 
Written by Valerie Bevilacqua   
Thursday, 05 June 2008

The Impacts of Being a Positive or Negative Person, and Where to Draw the Line

Take a perky cheerleader and an aspiring Goth to your table, then ask them this question: Is the glass half-full or half-empty? Chances are, the cheerleader will say it’s half-full, and the Goth will complain, er, say it’s half-empty. The truth is, that they’re both right. One half of the glass is full, and one half of the glass is empty. But, what does this prove? Well, depending on if you have a positive or negative attitude at the moment or in your life, you might only be able to see reality for its positive or negative aspects, rather than the big picture- rather than seeing the glass as both half-full AND half-empty.

Of course, every situation is different. Some circumstances are more severe than others, so it’d be hard to identify that one minor strength. However, either way, there is still such thing as being too negative or positive a person, even in that difficult conflict or in life. Allow me to explain the extreme prototype of a positive or negative individual.
 
Let’s start with the positive: the ultimate optimist. She’s graceful, caring, and sees the good in everyone. So, what’s the problem? She doesn’t get in anybody’s way, right? Well, maybe not directly, but she does get in the way of herself - in the way of her interpreting the negative in the situation and the person. While the optimist may fear realizing the bad - because she thinks it’ll make her unhappy - she has to know and do something about the bad, before it gets worse. She must recognize her mistakes or others’ manipulations, or else she can’t control any improvement.
Saying that, the ideal optimist is often viewed as naïve or passive, so they unintentionally present him or her self as targets for people who prefer to take charge, or take advantage. While optimistic, at the end of the day, even the optimistic person will somehow notice she is denying any feelings of ostracization and under appreciation. Also, while the positive person may be more pleasant to endure than the negative person, they can still become irritating, in the sense that they will refrain from saying anything specific, when you ask for constructive criticism. They don’t want to hurt your feelings or look at the negative, so they may try to defend you incessantly, instead of getting to the point. So, the optimist is, ironically, not helpfully cheerful and encouraging, when you’re in a crappy mood, and they’re singing “la la la” or cracking jokes, instead of giving you sufficient advice. The optimistic may be full of hope, but is hopeless, when it comes to asserting the boundaries.
 
Now, the negative person: the pessimist. They whine and cry about almost everything. The positive thing about the negative person, though, is since that everyone knows they will react in a not-so-subtle way, many cannot get past the pessimist. The pessimist has the most power. However, they can also have the least trust, whether it’s the trust she has for others, or the trust others may reciprocate, in return. Many are often intimidated by the negative person, so they feel less excited to rely on them. They know that the pessimist may insult and condescend, even throw a violent rampage. Saying that, even though the pessimist acts like a pro when it’s time to distinguish the flaws, ramifications, or any other negative aspects of a situation, he might pose as too much of a good thing, a threat to his confidence and self-esteem. All that negative energy can lead to depression and anger management issues; so not only do they put others down, but they put themselves down , too.
 
So, overall, try to be a combination of a positive or negative person. Every issue is unique, so it’s hard to engrave minimum or maximum levels of optimism or pessimism for every scenario. However, it doesn’t hurt to make a list of the pros and cons for a problem or individual, before you make important decisions. Write down the solutions from least to most drastic, so you can gradually and chronologically attempt various remedies, without surprising others involved in a too positive or negative way. Once we think and behave realistically, we can become contagious in inspiring other people to being realistic, too. This way, we can deal with a more realistic atmosphere of realistic people, and advance our journey into making the world a more realistic place.
Last Updated ( Thursday, 05 June 2008 )
 
< Prev   Next >
[ Back ]