Demagoguery

All of a sudden, with the demise of President Reagan, it looks like we are a nation devided along the line between optimism and pessimism. Suddenly the glass is either half full or half emty. Why can’t we lay aside the simplism of optimism and the cyncism of pessimism and adopt the wisdom of realism however complicated it may be. Why do some of us see the glass as half full and some as half empty?

The proverbial glass, which can hold 4.2 cubic inches of liquid, contains 2.1 cubic inches of water – H2O – at this moment.

This statement is neither simplistic nor cynical. It is merely realistc. Optimism is the demagogue’s appeal to the naive. Pessimism is the hypocrite’s rationale for the ignorant. Let’s be wise. Let’s be realistic.