Article June 19, 2000 Issue

Optimist, pessimist—or realist?

Don't settle for a half-empty or half-full glass of water.

By David M. Lowe

One morning, a friend told my wife that she is an optimist. Laughing, she pleaded guilty as charged. Later, she and I had a lively conversation on optimism and pessimism in relation to spiritual truth.

It occurred to us that in one sense optimism and pessimism are two sides of the same coin. Optimism, when based on material evidence to determine how much good, if any, is in our lives, is the flip side of pessimism. We're familiar with the common test of perspective, "Is the glass of water half full or half empty?" Although seeing the glass as half full is more positive than seeing it as half empty, either choice may leave God, omnipotent good, out of the picture. Metaphorically speaking, it's the size and shape of the glass that we ought to be questioning.

The glass, in the analogy, represents a limited spatial thought of good. In effect, it doesn't matter if we're regarding it as half full or half empty. Both concepts are limited, finite. This view keeps us from seeing the infinite good available from God. The Psalmist offers a contrasting spiritual view: "My cup runneth over" (Ps. 23:5). This position, that good is always present and cannot be contained, hints that good is beyond the confines of any limitation.

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