Hello to anyone out there reading my blog! This marks my first RCL blog of the Spring semester in my new English section. My name is John McLaughlin and I’m happy to be here. Welcome to my writing!
I’d say I’m happy in general and that this 99-question survey was confirming in relation to my personal identity. For several years now, I’ve identified as a “disgustingly optimistic” person. I try to see the good in everything and challenge myself to live to this standard. If I’m being honest, yesterday’s class, Tuesday January 31, left me feeling super down. I found a lot of my classmates to be pessimistic and the collective outlook on the world and Penn State was not a good one. I’m not “throwing shade” (lol) but I’m just curious as to how we can uplift our spirits. The world is a beautiful place and I’m certain we can all find this beauty and live as optimists. Things are not perfect, and they never will be, but we have the power to make a difference whether it’s big or small. Being negative comes naturally, but what if we were positive? What could our world look like?
As for the confirming results, I scored in the 95th percentile for viewing the world as good. Therefore, only 5% of the population views the world more positively. My safe score was in the 97th percentile and my pleasurable world belief scored a five on a five-point scale. I believe most things and people in this world are good. I also think that this mentality is by far the best way to live. Why would you view everything negatively or live in a constant state of fear? It sounds horrific to carry this burden every day.
Almost all my other scores were significantly higher than the US average except for the cooperative and stable world beliefs. Here, I was consistent with US averages. The importance of this is that being positive/optimistic does not imply stupidity! The world can be a mean place and I am well-aware of that.
I think I’ve said enough, but I genuinely feel like I can talk about these sorts of things forever. Being optimistic provides motivation to get up in the morning, to strengthen critical relationships with friends and family, and to do better for ourselves and those who come after us. To me, life will always be a privilege and I remind myself of this gift constantly.