Poptimism--Reflections Over Morning Coffee

No I haven't given up coffee yet but I did pass on the blueberry crumb coffee cake during my visit to Starbucks this morning. I ordered what I always do--a big, black cup of coffee. I'm not going to speak Latin to them or whatever language Venti is, and I'll never understand why they call their small size tall, but this entry is not about the Starbucks phenomenon although that certainly deserves attention in the near future. As always, the cute, bubbly, hooky-playing, should-be-in-high-school girl then asked if I wanted her to leave room for cream and sugar to which I gave my usual reply, "No, that's why I said BLACK." I don't like stuff in my coffee, and even if I did, I learned a long time ago that if you don't order a foo-foo coffee like everyone else does, you get your cup right away and can then get quickly out of range of all the 20- and 30-something, should-be-at-work, blue-tooth enabled loud talkers delighting themselves in one-sided conversation.

Anyway, I get back to the office and I'm sitting in front of my computer with my bitter over-roasted java, trying to focus, when the cup (made with 10% post-consumer recycled fiber) starts talking to me. Not exactly talking, but some words popped out at me that made me think of a bunch of things, including Wellness.com. So here I am at 9:30 in the morning writing a blog instead of writing a TPS report. Here's what my coffee cup had to say:

The Way I See It #258

Because true conservatives are pessimists, they are happier than liberals, for three reasons. First, pessimists are rarely surprised. Second, when they are wrong they are delighted to be so. Third, pessimists do not put their faith in princes--in government. They understand that happiness is a function of fending for oneself. Happiness is an activity; it is inseparable from the pursuit of happiness.

--George F. Will
Pulitzer Prize-inning author and columnist.

I thought of Wellness.com because of the "pursuit of health and happiness" tagline. I agree wholeheartedly that happiness is an activity and I think the Wellness.com folks nailed that one.

I used to think myself a conservative but I don't know anymore. I used to think myself a pessimist, but I don't know anymore. Are liberals dreamers that can only be disappointed? Is it accurate to say that conservatives are pessimists? Does one's political views have any real bearing on their pursuit of happiness? Is a natural tendency toward pessimism an asset in one's pursuit of happiness? Anyone?

I do know one thing. My coffee is cold.