Monthly Spiritual Themes guide Chalice Circles, small groups that gather monthly to explore meaningful spiritual themes through personal sharing. For more information on Chalice Circles, please email chalicecircles@uuprinceton.org. Our Chalice Circle thoughts and questions around the theme of Optimism this month are:

“What I am trying to cultivate is not blind optimism, but radical hope.” – Junot Diaz

The verb “to cultivate” is interesting here….What does “radical hope” bring up for you? Have you ever moved from blind optimism to radical hope? Is a glass half-empty an example of blind pessimism?

 

“Optimism is Obama’s natural resting state.” – Michele Norris

What is your natural emotional resting state? If not optimism, what if it were? Have you tried to be optimistic but just couldn’t? Or if you could, how did you change your outlook?

 

“Sensible optimism is a belief that the odds are in your favor, and over time, things will balance out to a good outcome even if what happens in between is filled with misery. And in fact, you know it will be filled with misery….Those two things are not mutually exclusive.” – Morgan Housel

Have you experienced blind optimism? Or sensible optimism? Have you had both reactions to the same situation?

 

“Choose to be optimistic, it feels better.” -The Dalai Lama

How do you “choose” a feeling? Is optimism just a feeling? Is it an attitude? Is it an outlook? What would you do to choose optimism?