Does being a professional pessimist take a toll on me as a person? Well that’s a kind of a dumb question. If I got a dollar for each time I was asked that, I’d be retired by now.
Of course it does take a toll. You think? If having to see the dark side of everything doesn’t mess you up, you’re not doing your job right.
Of course I wish it wasn’t this way. You think I love being a pessimist? A so-called “downer”? A killjoy? I hate it! It’s loathsome to my very being. It makes me cringe. But it’s something that’s required of me. Somebody has to speak for the other side.
Hell, if it were up to me I’d be the biggest brightest optimist in town. But this is my lot in life. I have learnt to accept that.
I have zero friends you know. They all left me, the whole bunch of them. Said I was bringing them down with me. It’s a job hazard, you know, like the astronauts. You think they love being out there in space, staring into blackness? No. They hate it. They’d rather be farmers or gardeners. But they do it cos it’s required of them. That’s just the way life is.
So how do I cope? Well that’s where it gets interesting. I have my “safe place”. It’s on the internet, and it’s my alter-ego. I call him Mr. BS. Oh, that stands for Mr Bright Side. What’d you think it stood for you nimrod?
Anyways, when I’m Mr. BS, I am myself. I stroll through the social medias and the Facebook posts leaving little notes of love and joy everywhere to brighten people’s lives. Press a like button here, a smiley face there. Share some motivational quotes. You know, that kinda thing. It really makes me feel alive again.
The best part is when someone replies with a thumb’s up, or a thank you. Just yesterday someone told me I made their day. It makes my day just hearing that. It’s much better than the usual rebuttals and smart comebacks I have to think up on my day job.
(Taken from “Conversations with Whet Blanchet - Inside the mind of a Professional Pessimist”)
