Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster.

Friedrich Nietzsche

Keep On the Sunny Side

KMedia psychology introduced me to positive psychologists like Martin E. P. Seligman and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. In their intro to the January 2000 issue of the American Psychologists they indicate that positive traits like hope, courage, happiness, flow, and, yes, optimism, are what enable folks to emerge unscathed from life’s difficulties.

Recorded by the Carter Family in 1928, Keep On the Sunny Side seems to hint that while there are dark days in life, optimism is a choice that we can embrace even in those dark times. Does optimism help? On healing from a 2004 severely broken ankle, my doctor said my upbeat attitude contributed to my remarkable recovery.

What positive traits line your life?