I went to a great party this week in New York City. But there was one conversation that needs to be purged from my head, so I’ll relay it here – and move on.
It was one of those bits of party small talk, when someone said to me “why are you such an optimist – you’re like a little kid?” I answered him with the first thing that popped into my mind with “because I believe in myself”. He laughed and said “well sooner or later, you’ll end up like the rest of us cynics”.
I replied with a question to him “Is it easier for you to wake up feeling defeated or hopeful?” And then I moved on to talk to someone else.
This attitude seems to be more prevalent in big, pretentious cities where somehow it’s perceived “cool” to be a cynic. Not sure why that is. I’m not even sure why people seem to take some kind of pleasure in discouraging others by invalidating their dreams – as if they are somehow doing you a favor in showing you the folly of your ways.
This is not gender specific but sorry ladies – we’ve all tried to “change” our men – with good intentions of course. But that sort of thing never ends well because people need to be true to themselves and not live their lives to please others. You have to believe in yourself before you can expect others to believe in you.
It’s hard to be a dreamer. Dreamers fail more times than they succeed. But imagine a world without them – replaced by all the cynics that seem to take more pleasure in discouraging others rather than “shining them up”.
Hang out with the “why not?” crowd – not the folks who question “why?”
“In a world that keeps turning you down
Only the heart knows where the strength can be found”
Jackson Browne
Journeys of a Hybrid 