“Be positive” is the mantra force-fed to you when your world seems to be falling apart. But beneath that supposedly supportive command lies a cultural obsession with optimism that hides behind the fear of confronting reality as it is. If you express anxiety about uncertainty, then you’re immediately slapped with the label of being pessimistic. But what if pessimism isn’t the flaw the world perceives it to be?
When optimism worships avoidance, pessimism prioritises confrontation. Tiptoeing around the truth does not have the power to make problems in one’s life vanish. In fact, life begins with a struggle and ends with it; suffering is a condition of existence. No one better than Schopenhauer understands this, as he explains the friction between the Will and life in his works, The World as Will and Representation. For him, the world is guided by a blind, powerful force he calls the Will, which pushes all living beings into tornados of desire, frustration and fleeting satisfaction. Meanwhile, life denies us the lasting fulfilment the will demands. We are stuck in a push and pull, leading to continuous suffering. To be optimistic is to pretend the Will can be pleased and that life will eventually align with our desires, and so the tornado will calm. But Schopenhauer’s pessimism refuses this fantasy, stemming from the belief that pain is what weaves the DNA of life.
Therefore, pessimism is a disguised survival strategy, and optimism is a comforting illusion. Pessimism declines unreasonable expectations and prepares us for the worst-case scenarios. This is the insight Hartmann develops in his critique of optimism. He argues that optimism operates only by ignoring the tragic nature of existence. For him, optimism depends on the belief that the world is fundamentally good, purposeful or improving, which he finds a mistake in perspective. If you believe everything around is good or will be good, you may walk through fire, but the fact is you remain burnt.
This is the danger of failed optimism, as Emil Cioran notes: “Only optimists commit suicide, optimists who no longer succeed at being optimists.” This personifies optimism as a psychological cliff which one must eventually fall from. However, if one is pessimistic, they can anticipate the fall and brace for impact.
Because of this preparedness, whilst optimism may excuse inaction, pessimism forces accountability. This becomes clearer through the lens of Albert Camus’ philosophy of absurdity. The absurd arises from a conflict: the human need for meaning and this need not being fulfilled. We long for order, reason and coherence, but the world gives no response. Optimism struggles to create and interpret meaning in order to soothe confusion and misdirection. It hangs onto the belief that everything falls into place, and so you wait, but for how long?
Camus offers a solution: we accept the absurd in its totality. We refuse to wait for external forces and the string of ‘what ifs’ and accept our reality as it is. This transforms pessimism into responsibility, as once we consume the bitter truth, we can finally act accordingly. It allows us to analyse our situation and ourselves without filters and provokes action. This is encapsulated by Camus’s concept of revolt, which explains acting even when nothing guarantees the value of action. This sharpens our moral vision, because seeing the world without its comforting facades forces us to recognise what is yearning for change and healing.
Even Nietzsche, once a sceptic of pessimism, came to consider Schopenhauerian thought. In Beyond Good and Evil, he reworked pessimism as a strength that allows you to engage with life more deeply. This reframed pessimism as a discipline, rather than a negative attitude, because it fuels proactiveness. It becomes a pathway to taking ownership over one’s existence and reality.
Pessimism, then, has been done a great injustice, because if one chooses it, it does not have to be perceived as darkness but as an introspective light. It is the courage to exist without illusions and to unclothe the world’s ugliness despite the pain it may cause. It is the ideal guru for teaching acceptance and accountability. For optimism may soothe, but pessimism equips.
So when they slap me with the label of pessimism, I’ll wear it as a badge of honour.