FROM THE EDITORS September 15, 2008 Issue

MORE THAN OPTIMISM

AS EARLY AS 1902, various newspapers noticed that Christian Scientists had a positive outlook on life. The Boston Herald mentioned that they were "remarkably cheerful and optimistic." In 1909, the Topeka state-Journal commented, "The best thing about Christian science [sic] is that it inculcates a spirit of optimism; of joy and gladness and good will."

The optimist generally expects the best outcome, or that good will prevail in the end. That's a helpful approach in today's mental climate, when the global economy is still working its way back to normal, and wars and rumors of wars continue in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and elsewhere.

Helpful as a positive outlook is, however, it can take anyone only so far. To tell someone who has lost his or her home that "it will all work out" might or might not be comforting. For someone whose community has been shattered by a natural disaster or by war, it could seem downright heartless.

Send a comment to the editors

This is the end of the issue. Ready to explore further?

Online features Audio