Are you an optimist or pessimist? The type who sees a glass half-full or half-empty?
It often feels like we’re in the midst of a modern epidemic of pessimism. This wave of gloom is apparent in conversations had and overheard, the comments that follow virtually all news, in the works of reporters, pundits, and politicians, and – especially relevant to this article – among police officers. Cynicism we get, a skeptical outlook rooted in pragmatism and experience probably necessary for safety and functionality on the job, and no cop can rest in Pollyannaish delusion, but this that seems such outright pessimism is more than disheartening, it’s dangerous.
In a way it makes sense; bad news comes in a steady stream and we all dine on a diet of the evil men do, the dangers and threats around us, dangers at home and abroad, all frequently served and digested with a simplicity of thought masquerading as intellectualism but without any depth of analysis. Fear sells far more than sex could ever dream of and there are plenty more than happy to sell it. The problem of the perception of unprecedented danger without perspective is harmful to our wellbeing and effectiveness personally and professionally.
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We recently saw a live production of West Side Story. Although it was my third time seeing it on stage, I was excited for Althea’s first experience with the classic musical. Still, seeing something with fresh eyes and greater depth of experience after nearly three decades since the last time is enlightening and thought-provoking; it made me think of how so much of what we see as modern malaise is really just human nature.
Now an iconic piece of both art and history, West Side Story originally opened in 1957 in New York City, with the timing and location of its premiere fitting of the musical’s setting and themes. Perhaps best known for its many well-known songs, choreography, and enduring characters, easily lost on the casual theatergoer seeing it today was its larger purpose in the context of that period of American history as a powerful social commentary. West Side Story was cutting-edge in its treatment of themes of sexuality, xenophobia, sexism, racism, groupthink, violence and murder, and the social issues of the times we somehow convince ourselves were nonexistent – or at least not a big deal – in those “quieter, simpler, happier times.”
We tend to romanticize the past, imagine it as better than it was and certainly superior to the world today. Facing modern day troubles, inundated with news of turmoil abroad and in our own backyards, and psychologically equipped to minimize negative past events and accentuates positive memory, the 50s are a particularly well-loved if sometimes misremembered time. When we think of the Happy Days nostalgia of the mid-70s, not to mention the mostly upbeat and inoffensive Nick at Night staples from that actual era, we forget the cauldron simmering under society’s surface that would soon boil over.
Racial segregation and casual racism – institutionalized in much of the South and a not-so-hidden undercurrent throughout the rest of our culture – was the norm. Strict gender roles and expectations were rarely questioned and proved limiting to countless women and girls who wanted more than the world told them they should expect. And burgeoning inner-city populations bred and fostered fresh waves of poverty, crime, substance and alcohol abuse, disenfranchisement, juvenile delinquency, and very questionable police tactics among the heavily concentrated and underserved inhabitants of ethnic, racial, and cultural ghettos. The problem of juvenile delinquency and the growth of inner-city youth gangs, with their attendant violence and crime, had become acute by the early 1950s. Growing public awareness of their activities and influence led to Senate Committee hearings in 1954. When West Side Story hit the stage three years later it was speaking to a topic front-and-center in the minds of most of its audience.
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To live in 2015 is to have access to an overwhelming array of media and information, much of it constantly sending the message the world is dangerous, our worries greater than ever, and the security we crave and once took for granted an illusion. In other words, the world’s going to hell in a hand basket at a rate far greater than we ever thought possible. To be a cop in 2015 is to have unprecedented knowledge of all the ways human beings victimize each other and an intimate awareness of the violence toward, and criticism of, your profession. Whether your point-of-view is that of officer or citizen, the flood of data pointing to a world descending on a terminal spiral of depravity and crime is pretty hard to miss, but is the data telling the truth? Are we really worse off now than in those “quieter, simpler, happier times” we imagine are lost and gone forever or is an abundance of information without a proper historical perspective breeding unjustified and harmful pessimism?
Pessimism breeds anger, cynicism, depression, and hopelessness. Unchecked, it can harm physical health, damage or destroy relationships, hinder job satisfaction and productivity, and taint one’s outlook so severely that even positive information or good news is viewed with such distrust it only fuels greater pessimism! For so many cops, their idealism shattered, pessimism has become a habit. It’s not something they feel so much as a cloak they deliberately wrap themselves in, a shield against the world. Worse, in the insular world many of us inhabit where we seek only the like-minded, negativity blossoms unchallenged.
For some, seeing West Side Story could be taken that maybe we haven’t really progressed all that much, that with all our advancement and what we’ve learned from the past we insist on repeating the sins of our father’s, and maybe it’s all hopeless, after all. For me, it was a reminder that what so many see and fear now as unprecedented disaster is simply timeless – West Side Story was, after all, a modernized version of Romeo and Juliet, after all – and we’re not living in some end times of normal civilization, we’re just surrounded by other human beings acting… well, human. And it was a reminder that humanity can recognize its own disease, hold it in up for scrutiny and make adjustments, and someday future generations will be struggling while looking back on 2015 with blinders as having been “quieter, simpler, happier times” without benefit of historical perspective.
Let go of pessimism for it can only hurt you, focus on the good you do in your own corner of the world and trust others are doing their damnedest to take care of theirs, and make an exercise of choosing optimism – or at least a hopeful realism – on a daily basis. We’ll look next at some of the positive developments going on around us to support at least considering optimism instead.
