LOOKING ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

by | Mar 10, 2011 | 2011 | 0 comments

The article on the cover of a well-known news magazine really caught my eye. 
It read: The Science of Optimism. Hope isn’t rational so why are humans wired for it?1
I read the article with great interest, backtracking several times in order to grasp the point the researcher was making. He found there was something called the optimism bias in every race, region and socioeconomic bracket. Though most people agreed that world conditions were a cause for great concern, they viewed their own future and that of their families through rose coloured spectacles.
Why, I wondered, would human beings consciously ignore the dismal truth of what was happening all around them, but cling to the unrealistic hope that somehow they would escape all the flack and emerge to live happily ever after?  It got me thinking about my own life — about when I became a Christian, and whether doing so made a difference to my degree of optimism.
As a child I remember my father reacting fiercely to anything that looked like pessimism. If I ever expressed a feeling that I might come last in the race, miss the bus or not get top marks in the exam, he would thump his fist on the table and say, “Will you stop looking on the gloomy side of things. Don’t be like your grandmother!” I never really knew this grandmother, so I had no idea what he meant. It seemed he just wanted me to be happy and positive and have “more faith in myself,” as he frequently put it. 
I never did develop that “can do” mindset, and never got to have “faith in myself.” There were always those unmentioned fears that I would forget my lines, say the wrong thing, take the wrong turn, or be attacked by a shark if I went for a swim.  I just didn’t talk about them – especially to my Dad.
Outlook changed 
But then something changed my outlook completely. Becoming a Christian was a multiple bonus experience for me. Not only did I realise I had a Saviour in Jesus Christ, but it became clear too that there was a cause for all the misery and suffering in the world. Jesus was to return to earth, set up his kingdom, and remove the cause of all sin and suffering. A wonderful new world was on its way, and I was going to be there! How’s that for optimism?
But life goes on, and so do the problems. I learned that the real hope for Christians does not lie in this world (1 Corinthians 15:19). It became clear that World War 1 was not “the war to end all wars.” The earthquakes, economic woes, tsunamis, famines and uprisings that make headlines today are not going to end tomorrow. The subtle enemy, who first persuaded humans to cut off their relationship with their Creator, will not give up his demented grasp until God intervenes (Revelation 20:2-3).
So why do we humans have this amazing thing called hope? The researcher whose findings resulted in this article actually stumbled on to the brain’s innate optimism by accident. Complex tests on the memory system revealed that while we tend to forget details of past events, we are capable of imagining future events with great optimism. The volunteers in another study reported that their images of desirable events were richer and more vivid than those of undesirable ones. This test revealed heightened activity in two critical regions of the brain which are central to the processing and modulation of emotion and motivation. The more optimistic a person was, the higher was the activity in these regions.  
Then again, these two critical areas of the brain showed abnormal activity in depressed individuals. Interestingly, the researcher says people with mild depression are relatively accurate when predicting future events. They see the world as it is. 
Without these crucial areas of the brain acting as they do, humans would be chronically depressed, and might never move forward, invent anything, or enjoy life at all. The resulting despair would have hindered any such thing as concern about global warming, attempting to live healthily, even having children. Surely this is why God designed these characteristics into the human thought processes. He intended for humans to live, not to die before we were born. 
Hope for our future
The Bible is full of promises of a great future hope for all mankind. Jeremiah – sometimes called a prophet of doom because of all his dire warnings, said to Israel, “So there is hope for your future, declares the Lord. Your children will return to their own land” (Jeremiah 31:17).
Jesus said he would draw all men to himself after his resurrection (John 12:32). The last chapters of the Book of Revelation clearly depict a wonderful future for mankind. 
I have to admit though; I still don’t feel optimistic about this world. Evils are mounting on all sides, and it’s distressing to have enjoyed a meal when you know that up north on the same continent, there is rampant starvation. I love watching the waves break over the rocks down at our local beach. The bigger and more powerful they are, the more spectacular and entertaining. But then I remember it was a super-sized one of these which engulfed an entire Japanese city. I’m aware every time I get into my car that accidents happen out there. At least my chances of being eaten by a shark are now almost non-existent seeing I don’t swim in the sea anymore. 
But even in the midst of this depressing world, we can right now, have great joy in coming to an intimate relationship with our Saviour Jesus. As we draw close to him and share our  concerns and requests with him, we are assured that the peace of God—something beyond the grasp of any science researcher—will guard our hearts and minds (Philippians 4:7). 
What has changed is the kind of optimism I have. I no longer look at what this world has to offer me. Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy good things like family visits, good music and movies, and dinner with friends. But it’s short term. What really turns me on is the thought of Jesus ruling the world with perfect love, peace, justice and joy.
That’s really worth looking forward to, and it’s for sure. 
1. Time magazine June 9 2011 page 34 
The Optimism bias by Tali Sharot

The article on the cover of a well-known news magazine really caught my eye.

It read: The Science of Optimism. Hope isn’t rational so why are humans wired for it?1

I read the article with great interest, backtracking several times in order to grasp the point the researcher was making. He found there was something called the optimism bias in every race, region and socioeconomic bracket. Though most people agreed that world conditions were a cause for great concern, they viewed their own future and that of their families through rose coloured spectacles.

Why, I wondered, would human beings consciously ignore the dismal truth of what was happening all around them, but cling to the unrealistic hope that somehow they would escape all the flack and emerge to live happily ever after? It got me thinking about my own life — about when I became a Christian, and whether doing so made a difference to my degree of optimism.

As a child I remember my father reacting fiercely to anything that looked like pessimism. If I ever expressed a feeling that I might come last in the race, miss the bus or not get top marks in the exam, he would thump his fist on the table and say, “Will you stop looking on the gloomy side of things. Don’t be like your grandmother!” I never really knew this grandmother, so I had no idea what he meant. It seemed he just wanted me to be happy and positive and have “more faith in myself,” as he frequently put it.

I never did develop that “can do” mindset, and never got to have “faith in myself.” There were always those unmentioned fears that I would forget my lines, say the wrong thing, take the wrong turn, or be attacked by a shark if I went for a swim. I just didn’t talk about them – especially to my Dad.

Outlook changed

But then something changed my outlook completely. Becoming a Christian was a multiple bonus experience for me. Not only did I realise I had a Saviour in Jesus Christ, but it became clear too that there was a cause for all the misery and suffering in the world. Jesus was to return to earth, set up his kingdom, and remove the cause of all sin and suffering. A wonderful new world was on its way, and I was going to be there! How’s that for optimism?

But life goes on, and so do the problems. I learned that the real hope for Christians does not lie in this world (1 Corinthians 15:19). It became clear that World War 1 was not “the war to end all wars.” The earthquakes, economic woes, tsunamis, famines and uprisings that make headlines today are not going to end tomorrow. The subtle enemy, who first persuaded humans to cut off their relationship with their Creator, will not give up his demented grasp until God intervenes (Revelation 20:2-3).

So why do we humans have this amazing thing called hope? The researcher whose findings resulted in this article actually stumbled on to the brain’s innate optimism by accident. Complex tests on the memory system revealed that while we tend to forget details of past events, we are capable of imagining future events with great optimism. The volunteers in another study reported that their images of desirable events were richer and more vivid than those of undesirable ones. This test revealed heightened activity in two critical regions of the brain which are central to the processing and modulation of emotion and motivation. The more optimistic a person was, the higher was the activity in these regions.

Then again, these two critical areas of the brain showed abnormal activity in depressed individuals. Interestingly, the researcher says people with mild depression are relatively accurate when predicting future events. They see the world as it is.

Without these crucial areas of the brain acting as they do, humans would be chronically depressed, and might never move forward, invent anything, or enjoy life at all. The resulting despair would have hindered any such thing as concern about global warming, attempting to live healthily, even having children. Surely this is why God designed these characteristics into the human thought processes. He intended for humans to live, not to die before we were born.

Hope for our future

The Bible is full of promises of a great future hope for all mankind. Jeremiah – sometimes called a prophet of doom because of all his dire warnings, said to Israel, “So there is hope for your future, declares the Lord. Your children will return to their own land” (Jeremiah 31:17).

Jesus said he would draw all men to himself after his resurrection (John 12:32). The last chapters of the Book of Revelation clearly depict a wonderful future for mankind.

I have to admit though; I still don’t feel optimistic about this world. Evils are mounting on all sides, and it’s distressing to have enjoyed a meal when you know that up north on the same continent, there is rampant starvation. I love watching the waves break over the rocks down at our local beach. The bigger and more powerful they are, the more spectacular and entertaining. But then I remember it was a super-sized one of these which engulfed an entire Japanese city. I’m aware every time I get into my car that accidents happen out there. At least my chances of being eaten by a shark are now almost non-existent seeing I don’t swim in the sea anymore.

But even in the midst of this depressing world, we can right now, have great joy in coming to an intimate relationship with our Saviour Jesus. As we draw close to him and share our concerns and requests with him, we are assured that the peace of God—something beyond the grasp of any science researcher—will guard our hearts and minds (Philippians 4:7).

What has changed is the kind of optimism I have. I no longer look at what this world has to offer me. Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy good things like family visits, good music and movies, and dinner with friends. But it’s short term. What really turns me on is the thought of Jesus ruling the world with perfect love, peace, justice and joy.

That’s really worth looking forward to, and it’s for sure.

 

 

1.Time magazine June 9 2011 page 34

The Optimism bias by Tali Sharot

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