Why should one be optimistic?

Optimism isn't thinking you are going to do good at something or win something, it's finding the best in whatever life throws at you.

from what you just said it sounds like you think people say being optimistic will make you win everything and everything will be awesome and forever happy. no

a optimistic person loses, goes though bad times and goes though the worse things like every other human person does, but focus's on a more brighter side of the situation.

from your example, the baseball game a optimistic person would probably notice how happy the other team is and is happy for them, or won't be angry or sad about losing the game but think its OK because its just a game and i can try next year.

and the election would be, you're learn new experiences and it was fun doing it, i can always try next year

the point of being optimistic isn't so everything goes right for you, its just making the best out of any situation.

also most people who are pessimistic wouldn't even try, they just say whats the point, I'm just going to lose the game i might as well not even play the game, its all just s big disappointment,

so being optimistic is better than being pessimistic. but admittedly it it hard to do sometimes,

Because a world of misery is no fun. Dont get me wrong sometimes I cant be optimistic all the time and that is when I feel down so I pick myself up and start being optimistic all over again even though I know its a little fake or nieve. Its just a default setting you could say.

Personally i wouldnt want to be so negative. When im on my death bed i dont want to sit and feel all sorry about how dissapointed i was through out life. So maybe you lost a game TOUGH if those were actual scores thats a helluva game to take part in. So what if you lost a campaign do you really feel that one loss is worth fretting over for the next fifty years. Basically u can be a whiny retard and sit in dissapointment for 50 years or look at the all satisfaction and joy you get when something good happens. Ur call

I agree with you, to an extent, life can & will let you down. However, a pessimist sees a difficulty in every opportunity & often disregards the opportunity itself. It changes your way of thinking, say you get a letter in the mail, instead of thinking "This could be an old friend or realitive!" you'd think "Its probably junk mail or a bill, I'll throw it out" What im getting at; while life tends to be dissapointing, there's always some good in it if you look at it in a different light. Take chances, "you miss 100% of the shots you don't take"

Optimism is a bigger concept than you're making it

Optimism isn't just being like "oh i may not have 20 friends but i have 1" it's about being positive

with optimism you see that things may not be perfect but they most likely WILL get better, and you don't sit and wait for something to happen. you make it happen.Anyone can hope to get friends, sit at home and wait. but optimism is hoping for friends and going out to find some, and if you don't make friends that day you're still happy that you talked to someone or made progress, and then you strive to be better tomorrow. optimism w/o initiative is just praying, and we all know praying mostly gets you nowhere.

You have to have some optimism in your life or what go on living. When life gives me challenges I try to overcome them and push ahead. I have a never say die atttitude and never give up no matter wat happens. I believe that silver lining is out there some where, and just got to find it.