Nowhere to go but up

There was news in the world of optimism today. Really.
Front page of the Kansas City Star. No, look down and to the left. Below the fold. Lower. See it? Way down there, lower left corner.
"World pretty optimistic, KU grad student finds."
The story revolves around this heart-stopping statistic: 95 percent of all people around the world are optimistic about the future.
Other headlines on the front page: Fairfax local approves concessions; GM bankruptcy filing still likely; North Korea tension builds; Trafficking in workers is alleged (with the subhead, Hundreds of victims were "modern-day slaves," according to federal indictment.)
The study, done by Matthew Gallagher for the Gallup World Poll, is based on answers from 150,000 adults from 140 countries. There were some demographic differences, but for the most part, this sunny view prevailed over all age, gender, and income groups.
What's going on here? Have I lost my mind completely?
The most optimistic countries were Ireland, Denmark, New Zealand and Brazil. The good old US of A, which usually prides itself on its manly strength in adversity, came in a shame-faced 10th.
Brazil, I can understand. Sure, they've got bone-grinding poverty in the slums. But the sun, the beaches, hot guys in Speedos, and that crazy martial arts capoeira. How could you go wrong with that?

And New Zealand's beautiful and has all that filming going on.


But Ireland? Denmark? Ireland's been bitterly divided for years and now the economy's in the tank. And Denmark is up there in the winter-darkness belt with Sweden and Norway. (Think Edvard Munch's The Scream.)
What's going on? The majority of those polled said they expect their lives to be as good or better five years from now than they were five years ago.
Oh, well when you put it that way.
Yeah, I'd probably say the same thing. Things probably will get better in five years because the have to, right? And if things were worse in five years, well, I'd probably say it again for the same reason. It's a survival instinct. We could have a deadly worldwide outbreak of swine flu or, say, nuclear war, and if I was alive in five years, I'd be optimistic. Because I didn't die! Thus the horrible reality becomes the new "normal" against what the future is measured. It didn't take my life, so how bad can it be?
I suppose we need this, because what's the other choice? You can't survive as a species without the will to fight for life, no matter how bad things are.
Does that answer make me an optimist, though? Expecting life to be "as good" or even the wimpy "better" sets the bar pretty low. Yeah, my life will be better because I'll be five years closer to parole, or the sweet release of death. That just doesn't do it for me.
It would have been interesting if they'd changed the question a little. Instead of, "will your life be as good or better," how about "will your life be great?"
"Do you expect to wake up every morning, five years from now, without the knot of sick fear in your stomach? Do you expect your life to be going so well in five years that you can be forgiving, even magnanimous, to those who have wronged you?"
If there was a 95 percent positive response to that question--now that would be impressive.