Anyone who knows me knows that i'm an optimistic bloke who sees the brighter side to everything. I've always been of the opinion that everything happens for a reason. Since God is merciful + compassionate, that reason is ALWAYS a good one. Its up to us to find that good, and the only way to find it is to believe that it exists. This is optimism in thought and perception.
Similarly, i'm also of the opinion that anything, given enough effort and patience, can change, either for better or worse (which is which is a matter of relativity; it always depends on the angle you choose to see things). Hitler transformed a crippled German nation into the conquerors of Europe (sans Britain). Edison took a strip of twine and invented the electric lightbulb; initial failure did not deter him. Mahathir defied the critics and pulled Malaysia out of the 1997 financial crisis. None of these people would have been able to do what they did if they did not believe that it could be done. They were optimists in action.
Optimism in thought and action does not exist in a vaccum. No matter how much we want something to happen, or no matter how good we believe the situation to be, we must allow ourselves to be tempered with a dose of realism. Significant changes in human civilization does not happen easily, nor does it happen without a revolution of thought and action. For example, Article 153 of the Malaysian Constitution that discusses the Special Rights of the Malays protects itself from challenge or change. Does this mean that it is insulated from change? Yes it does. Does this mean that it will never be changed? For an optimist, there is no such thing as never.
