Nelson Mandela once said, “Part of being optimistic is keeping one’s head pointed toward the sun, one’s feet moving forward.”
Optimism is perhaps one of the most difficult virtues to maintain. We are taught that it is the art of looking on the brighter side of things even in the bleakest situations. We are taught that it is the skill of seeking silver linings in the darkest of clouds. While it is easy to revel in the beauty of optimism when we theorise it, it can become quite difficult to practise in reality. This is because we often forget what optimism is truly about.
Optimism is not just about seeing the better side of things, for this can be done quite easily in most situations. Instead, optimism is about never giving up in the act of seeing the better side of things.