Ethical Optimism

A friend of mine was recently asked to address a group of business people on the theme of optimism. His very successful career in both the video game and television industries was often summarized in terms of his seemingly unconquerable optimism. He asked me what I thought about the subject and it got me thinking.

Just what is optimism? Off the cuff we’d all probably define it in terms of positive thinking about the future. The optimist sees the glass as half full, presenting the opportunity for more to be poured in. We could also describe it in terms of what it is not. That is, it is the opposite of whining and complaining about everything. We’d all prefer to be surrounded by folks who are positive in their outlook instead of calling attention to every little thing they find uncomfortable.

But can there be too much optimism? For many, optimism comes dressed in hyper-confidence and plain old arrogance. These are the people for whom optimism has become a calling card, and it too often morphs into a hubris characterized by stubborn insistence that their insights are perfect and their decisions beyond debate. They are optimistic all right, and pretty much blind to the reality that most of their optimism is really self-delusion.

On the other hand there are folks who are blindly optimistic because they refuse to acknowledge anything that would dampen their outlook. These “head in the sand” folks are cheery even as the quicksand gulps them all the way down. But since they eschew any kind of conflict or sadness, they choose optimism at any cost, even their own well-being. Pollyanna optimism certainly isn’t a good choice.

These two options – arrogance and avoidance – define the ends of the optimism spectrum. Neither one presents the best option in regards to an attitude toward the challenges and opportunities of life. So, how do we avoid these, and find a proper and beneficial stance as an optimist?

The answer is to go beneath an optimistic viewpoint to the grounds on which such a viewpoint must stand. Baseless optimism leads to denial, even as optimism based on personal pride leads to stubborn arrogance. The key must be to find the correct basis for being optimistic.

For some, their optimism will be situational. Their attitude will change with the circumstances. But this kind of optimism is really of little value given that its ups and downs can be quite draining. What we need is a reason for optimism that transcends the daily bumps and bruises of our unpredictable world.

For me, the greatest reason for optimism is the refuge I have found in the reasonableness of God, as described in the Bible. Belief in God is reasonable simply because such a worldview not only can explain reality, including the presence of evil and suffering, but it also provides grounds for an optimistic worldview.

Further, given that the immaterial part of me – consciousness, for example – can’t be explained by a purely physical process such as evolution, it is comforting to know that life has a purpose, that history is going somewhere, and that “somewhere” has everything to do with an omniscient God who has planned all things for his glory. Simply put, I can be glad for my hope is in the Lord. My optimism is grounded in his faithfulness. 

Ethical Cause and Effect

In logic there is a fallacy known as non sequitur. This Latin phrase simply means “does not follow” and describes a situation where a supposed “effect” actually “does not follow” from its supposed cause. Here is an example – absurd to be sure – of a non sequitur: Where does wind come from? It obviously is caused by the leaves of the trees waving. When the leaves wave, the movement causes the wind to blow. We know this to be true because, when we landed men on the moon there was no wind because there were no trees!

Unfortunately, not all non sequiturs are as easy to spot. It is increasingly the case that our society is unable to distinguish improperly argued cause and effect. In fact, we’ve come to believe one tragic non sequitur to be gospel truth. Here it is: if I get hurt in some way (effect), then someone did something evil (effect), and must pay.

We have become a no-fault society. Bad things are happening, but it is always someone else’s fault. In fact, any negative thing that brings pain or inconvenience into life is almost always chalked up to someone’s error or malice. 

What is even more aggravating is the fact that, if I get hurt by something or someone, it is a given in our society that those doing the hurting are evil and must be brought to account. I am thinking primarily of interaction in the area of communication. It has gotten to the place where telling the truth puts you at risk of being labeled as insensitive or worse.

But we all know that sometimes the truth hurts. Correction is often accompanied by pain. Just ask the physician who must set a broken bone. And the same can be true in relationships be they in business or family.  The Apostle Paul found out the hard way when he had to reprove the folks in Galatia. In Galatians 4:16 he asked the serious but rhetorical question: “Have I become you enemy by telling you the truth?”

Too often it is just that simple. Truth-telling, in an attempt to set a crooked situation straight, may cause pain and, in our society, this, apparently, justifies retaliation. The truth-teller become the enemy, the insensitive perpetrator. The one in need of correction becomes the innocent victim whose pain is evidence of a great crime.

But it goes even further. Being hurt apparently gives one a license to respond poorly. Most often those in pain choose not to discuss the issue, but react out of their pain and launch personal attacks. We see this in our worlds of business, politics, and personal relationships.

The truth that needs to be recovered is that pain is often either self-inflicted, or connected to needed correction. The correction didn’t cause the pain; it merely uncovered the error, bringing it to the surface. When delivered in love, truth deals with a sliver that, left undiscovered, would fester and bring about greater pain in the future.

Lastly, alongside the fallacy that the presence of pain is evidence of evil action lies the equally destructive belief that all pain is, itself, evil. We are fast becoming a nation addicted to emotional pain-killers. We are anesthetizing ourselves to death and demanding a pain free life, pain free relationships, and pain free conversations. But pain is often the indicator used by both body and mind to let us know something is wrong. And we had better get back to realizing that some of the time our own actions, attitudes, or ideas are to blame. It is time to reclaim the necessary truth that all too often we are the cause of our own ill effects.

No Regret Living

October 31, 2013 will mark 496 years since a young monk strolled to the university church in Wittenberg, Germany and tacked a list of 95 statements to the door intending to start a conversation about abuses in the church. That man – Martin Luther – had no idea the firestorm that would evolve from his simple writing. Known as the Reformation, Luther’s ideas were fanned into a flame that spread across Europe and beyond, transforming both the church and society forever. Luther’s life was changed, as were millions of others, because he acted in concert with his convictions. He lived true to himself.

We’ve all heard the saying “To thine own self be true.” Shakespeare put those words in the mouth of Polonius in his epic play Hamlet. And while the origin of this commendable command is known, there is some disagreement on what the Bard intended it to mean. Some suggest that we shouldn’t deceive ourselves, but that seems all too obvious to be clever. Other suggest it underscores the need to take care of one’s self first, and then look to others. But, again, this hardly fits the context.

I offer this theory. To be true to your own self is to act in alignment with your own basic convictions, no matter the circumstances. The whole quote actually speaks about the remedy for hypocrisy as staying true to yourself. “This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.”

Hypocrisy is falsehood, pretending to be something other than what you really are. When we go against what we truly believe we are not only being false to ourselves, but to everyone who is persuaded by our façade.

There is great ethical truth to be found in these lines from Shakespeare. First, it is important to realize the immoral nature of hypocrisy. To declare that we are what we are not is to make falsehood our calling card. Ultimately, this practice is the undoing of relationships in business and society. Integrity is to human endeavor what guardrails are on the freeway. Integrity keeps us in the lane, and prevents us from going over the cliffs of chaos and anarchy. Truth is the great safeguard of human relationship and civil society.

Second, it is essential to personal wellbeing to stay true to those foundational convictions that have always defined right and wrong. Putting others before self, doing to others what we would want done to us, telling the truth in every situation, understanding that acclaim should follow accomplishment and not precede it, and that honest, hard work is a virtue are just a few of these basic ethical norms. Everyday situations test us, putting us in positions where we must choose either to be true to ourselves, or pursue a hypocritical path for pragmatic reasons.

Here’s the deal: When we choose hypocritical pragmatism we jettison any chance of peace at the end of the day. Even if our hypocrisy allows us to win, deep down we know that we’ve lost something much more precious than we’ve gained.

On the other hand, staying true to yourself, regardless of the outcome, allows you to put your head on the pillow knowing that you’ve done what was right. You have remained authentic and sincere to the watching world by refusing to bend your values under the weight of opposition. You’ve acted courageously, stayed strong, and remained true to what you believed was right.

America needs thousands, even millions of people who will recognize the basic values that make for well-ordered society, then adopt a core ethic based on those values, and refuse to abandon their convictions in uncomfortable situations. Martin Luther stands as a model of biblical convictions lived out in ways that transformed his life and ours as well.

Above all we must to our own selves be true. We must build our lives on the truth of God, and then stand firmly and winsomely for the values that spring from it. It is imperative for righteousness and nobility to reign in us even as we hold fast to the basics of right and wrong. If we are not true to ourselves it is a certainty that no one else will be, and pragmatism will continue to make hypocrisy the rule of the day in America.