Half Empty or Half Full?

March 1, 2024

The antidote to despair is not a vague sense of optimism but hope in the God who loves us

By Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori

March 1, 2024

Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori

“Is the glass half empty or half full?” It’s said that your answer to this question reveals your general attitude toward life and the various situations confronted along the way.

A person who thinks the glass is half empty is regarded as a pessimist — someone always looking at the downside, anticipating bad results from any decision or effort. The word “pessimism” comes from the Latin word pessimus, meaning “the worst.” Those who see the glass as half full, on the other hand, are optimists. They tend to see the good in people, even in people who do bad things, and focus on the good in culture and society, not just flaws. When the economy goes south, they expect a recovery. Optimists believe that, in the long run, things will work out for the best. After all, the Latin root of “optimism” means “the best.”

For extreme pessimists, the glass is not half full but completely empty. They see failure on all sides — nothing good in others, in culture or society. Combine pessimism with cynicism and you have a toxic mix. And most pessimists of any stripe don’t keep their pessimism to themselves. By and large, they complain — a lot! That’s why being with pessimists can wear us out. Surrounded by complainers, we feel like we’re living under a perpetual cloud cover.

Extreme optimists, meanwhile, see the glass as overflowing. They may be unrealistic about dangers and challenges. They may find themselves unprepared when trouble arrives, as it most assuredly does. They may also fail to protect loved ones from harm because of their unwillingness to face facts. While most of us would prefer to have a sunny disposition and to associate with people with a bright outlook, we also realize that, at the end of the primrose path, there is often a cliff.

Hope is much more than a sentimental attitude that “everything will be all right.” Hope is an anchor amid the storms and challenges of life, for in the power of the Holy Spirit our life is firmly affixed to Christ.

An adage dating to Aristotle states that virtue lies in the middle, between extremes — in this case, between extreme pessimism and extreme optimism. But this brings us back where we started. Is the glass half empty or half full? Are we habitually disposed to be moderately pessimistic or moderately optimistic? And are both attitudes equally good?

Put this way, it’s obvious that moderate optimism is better than moderate pessimism. But does that really get to the heart of the matter? Don’t we experience a deep desire for more than a vague belief that most things will turn out well?

Enter St. Paul, who tells the Romans that they should embrace afflictions, knowing that “affliction produces endurance, and endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope.” And then the coup de grâce: “and hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us” (Rom 5:3-5). St. Paul would tell us that the proverbial glass — the soul — is full to brim, not with mere human optimism but with the theological virtue of hope.

Hope is much more than a sentimental attitude that “everything will be all right.” Hope is an anchor amid the storms and challenges of life, for in the power of the Holy Spirit our life is firmly affixed to Christ. With St. Paul we can say, “He has loved me and given himself up for me” (Gal 2:20). Indeed, Christ’s love is stronger than sin and more powerful than death itself. As we grow in the spiritual life, we experience that gaze of the Eucharistic Lord, whose love penetrates to the core of our being. In him, we experience an enduring love that conquers all things and lifts our earthly horizons toward eternal life and joy.

As we enter upon Holy Week and Easter, let us ask the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts anew with that hope which never disappoints.

Metal bucket at draw-well in European village.

Half Empty or Half Full?

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