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Comment by vjk800 | Hacker News Reader

I've had very similar thoughts about pessimism. I certainly am one.

The fact that I don't expect a very good outcome doesn't mean I shouldn't try, because what the hell else can I do? At worst, I get useful information out of my (likely) failures.

Also, thinking and preparing for the worst doesn't need to be a gloomy thing. It can even be empowering. When I've thought of all the possible crappy outcomes that might happen, I can be confident that whatever happens, I'll survive. I wish more people were like me; I'm confident that lots of disasters in the world could be avoided if people just took their heads out from the sand and embraced all the horrible possibilities that exist.

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> When I've thought of all the possible crappy outcomes that might happen, I can be confident that whatever happens, I'll survive.

I've heard this before, but it never worked for me because I can imagine things going pretty bad. I do think there is a lot of undue optimism. An assumption that things will work out. They often don't. Maybe worrying about nuclear war isn't that productive, but we should all be a lot more worried about things like working environment, rising inequality and the cost of living. Ask Japan.

Also, thinking and preparing for the worst doesn't need to be a gloomy thing. It can even be empowering.

It absolutely is. When things go wrong I have already thought about the triage and backup plans. The situation will still by dynamic, but I won’t be scrambling to begin making plans. I’ll be be refining what I’ve already thought about to match the new reality.

It feels pretty badass to be thrown a curveball and not be phased. I can only do that if I’ve considered what could go wrong and planned for contingencies.

Eh, I see it as a double-edged sword. My pessimism has likely contributed to my decade of success in high-stakes environments (i.e., nuclear). However, I've struggled with anxiety my entire adult life.

So yeah, I wish more people could find that middle place, but the extreme end can be debilitating for those like me.

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