Optimism doesn't need to be naive. You can be an optimist and still recognize that problems exist and that some of them are not dealt with easily. But what a difference optimism makes in the attitude of the problem solver! For example, through the years I've heard some people say that the money spent on our space program has been wasted. "Instead of spending $455 million to put a man on the moon," they say, "why not spend that money here on earth on the poverty problem?" But when you ask them exactly how they would spend that money to solve the poverty problem, most of them don't have an answer. "Give me a solution," I tell them, "and I'll raise you the money." Think in positive terms about how to address the issue rather than criticizing money spent on another program, such as America's space program, which has resulted in many positive discoveries that have benefited mankind.
乐观不意味着幼稚。在保持乐观的同时,你仍然能意识到问题的存在,意识到有些问题非常棘手。乐观带来的改变在于面对问题的态度。比方说,这些年我总是听到有人抱怨用于太空计划的钱是被白白浪费了。他们会说:“与其花四亿五千五百万美元把一个人送上月球,为什么不把这些钱用来解决地球上的贫穷问题呢?”但当你追问他们打算如何用这些钱来消除贫困时,大多数人又会无言以对。我对他们说:“告诉我一个解决办法,我会为你们筹到钱。”以积极的方式思考如何解决问题,而不是对花在别的项目上的金钱妄加挑剔。实际上,美国的太空计划带来了许多有价值的发现,全人类都从中受益。
Optimism draws our attention away from negativism and channels it into positive, constructive thinking. When you're an optimist, you're more concerned with problem-solving than with useless fault-finding. In fact, without optimism, issues as big and ongoing as poverty have no hope of solution. It takes a dreamer -- someone with hopelessly optimistic ideas, great persistence, and unlimited confidence -- to tackle a problem that big. It's your choice.
乐观精神使我们的注意力从消极的否定态度转向积极的、建设性的思考。乐观主义者更关心如何解决问题,而不是毫无意义地怨天尤人。事实上,如果没有乐观精神,像贫穷这样严重而且现正存在的问题是无望解决的。解决这样的问题需要一个梦想家个拥有九死不悔的乐观、矢志不移的坚韧和无限信心的人。何去何从,由你决定。
来源:可可英语 http://www.kekenet.com/daxue/201703/495436.shtml