I myself have moments of cynicism, believe it or not. My boss told me awhile ago that I “tend to assume the worst,” not the greatest opinion for your boss to have of you. But despite his opinion, for the most part I believe I am optimistic about having a shot at influencing the outcome in many situations, and that it's worth my effort to try. I reason that if I give up, assume it’s hopeless, and don’t even try, the outcome will be pretty predictable and I’ll regret not having tried harder. So I continue to continue.Cases exist where this is insane, of course. There are cases where I’m expecting others to change their basic DNA, for example. The only thing in the end that I have control over is my own actions and reactions. I can make an effort to influence others and I may or may not succeed. But if I trudge forward over the same ground again and again without success, at some point it morphs from perseverance to stupidity. Deciding when that point has arrived is a matter of perception, judgment, and wisdom.
God, grant me
The serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference.
And of course, the wisdom to know the difference can be the hardest part. Things I cannot change:
• Everybody dies
• Everybody makes their own choices and each choice has consequences
• “All lies and jest, still a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest.” The Boxer, Paul Simon
Things I can change:
• How I live my life before I die
• How loving I am to other people before they die
• How I react to events that unfold. “There’s something lost and something gained in living every day.” Both Sides Now, Joni Mitchell
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