Seeing your glass as half full allows you to have a life you can stand to live. Seeing the glass as half empty robs you of any life at all.
I grew up among people very much like Christian Scientists. So, I watched a lot of people die because not going to a doctor often isn't very realistic and then you die. I suppose some people like myself with incredible immune systems might survive all this. But, a lot of people died from common things always before there throughout time.
It's mostly after around 40 or so you start to need doctors if you are like me where you didn't go to doctors much growing up.
So, I looked at people who told me "God is going to heal me!" sort of sideways like "Well. I'm sorry you are going to die soon."
So, I went through life from around my 20s with a more cynical attitude when people had an "incurable" disease and didn't go to doctors and said "God is going to heal me".
But, finally in my 40s I found I couldn't stay this cynical and stay alive anymore. So, I married someone who is positive much like the people I grew up with. I finally realized that at a certain point in life being cynical will kill you. (eventually)
So, is the glass half empty or half full?
If you want to live a long life it better be half full if you expect to make it past 40.
So, having a positive attitude helps you live every day of your life to the fullest.
However, life is always a balance because if you don't deal with things pragmatically and realistically they will kill you too eventually.
So, you have to be positive enough to stay alive and to think it is good to be alive.
However, if you become unrealistic and live in a dream that can kill you too.
This is what I watched growing up and it scarred me for life.
But, that was an important lesson too. It made me both hopeful and pragmatic and practical which has served me well throughout my life.
Everyone has some version of PTSD. The trick is to manage it so it doesn't overwhelm you and take your life before your time.
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