Glasses 90% Empty, 10% Full

The importance of optimism

COVID-19 is bringing out the best in us and the worst in us. Countries, communities, and individuals are failing to act in the highest form of humanity.

We see racial disparities in care, neglect of the homeless population, and hate spewed toward people who appear noncompliant to the social distancing order. But, there is more to see.

Glass 90% Empty

Now, more than ever, we must turn out attention toward the light in ourselves and each other. The majority of people have survived some form of trauma and continue to live with its effect. That means many people’s brains are on high alert, paying particular attention to anything that can bring harm.

Brains that were in survival mode before the global crisis will likely struggle to remain optimistic. People who already feel hopeless from racism, sexual abuse, domestic violence, active grief, etc…, may experience more desperation and anxiety regardless of their actual risk level from the virus.

People who have not had a chance to resolve trauma are at a higher risk than others. The psychological vulnerability may be no less dangerous than physical vulnerability during this time.

If your glass has never been half-full, negative experiences have a significant impact no matter how minor the change. People who have not had a chance to resolve trauma are at a higher risk than others. The psychological vulnerability may be no less dangerous than physical vulnerability during this time.

Psychology, spirituality, and physiology tell us that where the attention goes, energy flows. Once we begin to focus on negative experiences surrounding COVID-19, we will get emotionally sucked into the negativity even if we never experience a single symptom. Our mental state will be negatively impacted long after the virus has run its course.

Glass 10% Full

Responding to the COVID-19 crisis with optimism is as essential as wearing a mask and washing your hands. I’m talking about consciously raising your energetic vibrations for yourself and the world through body, mind, and spiritual activities.

We want to vibrate hope, love, acceptance, and kindness, ingredients for healing. The proverbial 10% can increase quickly if enough people focus on it. Instead of hoarding your goods, offer them up to those who have less. Instead of disseminating lousy news, use social media to check in with friends to make sure they are doing OK. Choose a meditation mantra to focus on every time your mind wanders towards negativity.

The essence of optimism is that it takes no account of the present, but it is a source of inspiration, of vitality and hope where others have resigned; it enables a man to hold his head high, to claim the future for himself and not to abandon it to his enemy (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Brainy Quotes).

When we turn our attention to the metaphorical 10% that’s in the glass, we see the world differently. Solutions evolve from looking at problems creatively. When you focus on the 90% that is gone, there is nothing to see, nothing to build on.

In a medical crisis, doctors look for signs of life to proceed. They do not focus on the absence of life. The slightest breath or slowest heartbeat indicates the possibility of reviving the patient. They don’t predict death while they are trying to save a life. In a violent attack, the most critical question is, how many people are alive?

Out of all of the relevant concerns to COVID-19, we must put forth the energy to keep people alive, psychologically, mentally, spiritually. Remind one another of our strengths. Remind those who have lived with the trauma of their resilience. Hold space for them in their moments of weakness.

We’re All In It Together

We must offer each other kind words and encouragement. Do not confuse optimism with dogmatism. For example, propagandizing that God is going to take care of His people is a religious affirmation that everyone is certainly entitled to. But, religious faith is not the same as humanitarian optimism. Optimism doesn’t shun people who believe differently from you.

Similarly, this is not the time for educating people on a conspiracy. I love a good conspiracy theory as much as the next skeptic. However, spreading conspiracy theories do not offer solutions lowers the energy vibration of the individuals. Focusing on suspicion without responsible resolution is useless for the time being. Right now, the best defense is an open mind and an open heart.

Humans are by nature too complicated to be understood fully. So, we can choose either to approach our fellow human beings with suspicion or to approach them with an open mind, a dash of optimism and a great deal of candor (Tom Hanks, Brainy quotes).

Systems

All society’s systems have shown their weakness. Focusing on the 10% that’s right is a challenge for any optimist.

Voter suppression in Wisconsin, medical testing Michigan, and unequal crisis education all over the country reveal problems that were conveniently denied. All of those problems were known before COVID-19, along with all the other social problems. Many people have pointed them out.

“It’s always been a subtext of our secular optimism that you solve the economic problem and all other things sort of take care of themselves. Well, we seem to be doing well on the economic side — we are doing very well — and the other things are not solving — they’re compounding.” (Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Brainy Quote).

Expert optimism

Problems need to be addressed for sure. Individuals who can contribute to solving particular problems in any way should step up and do so. The rest of us should focus on the issues that we can solve.

Emphasizing every problem lowers our human vibration, even if systems are 90% broken. The bigger we present a problem, the smaller we become. Of course, we must take problems seriously, but not aggrandize them to create panic and fear.

Emphasizing every negative problem lowers our human vibration. The bigger we present a problem, the smaller we become.

Let the experts engage while we hold the vibrations for solutions to arise. We cannot afford to relinquish our responsibility to hold high-energy vibrations for the world. The world doesn’t need one more pseudo reporter of negative news. The world needs light and love.

When we build up love and let our light shine, we open space for possibility. In this space of possibility, people can take risks, so they are more creative. People can reach out when they need help because the space is judgment-free. Hearts can heal because they touch one another with purity.

The Other Side

Most of us will not die of thirst before our glasses are refilled. The goal is not to let your glass become empty. That way, when the pouring starts, your glass will be more than half-full. On the other hand, when you spend all of your energy on negativity, no matter how much is poured into your glass, it will always be half empty.

This is an excellent time to get a new glass so that you are not drinking shards. Share your glass with your family, your neighbors, the world. Let it run over with hope, kindness, love, and acceptance, the ingredients that can sustain lives.

References

https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/optimism-quotes

Runtagh, P. (2012) The benefits of being in a higher vibration. Huff Post. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/positive-energy_b_1715767.

SWNS (2019). The personality differences between glass half full and glass half empty people. Medium. https://readmedium.com/the-personality-differences-between-glass-half-full-and-glass-half-empty-people-2cfc05ad3706.