The Hard Truth of Reality

Question. Is this snowman a fatalist, pessimist or realist?

A fatalist, Christian or Muslim, is likely to say, “It’s all in the hand of God; His will be done.”

The pessimist probably knew he would be dead soon even as someone was rolling him into a snowball. In spite of the grin on his face, he was unhappy the day he was formed.

Reality is a hard taskmaster, which some people can never come to grips with. “Naw, you’re not going to die,” they say. “Something will turn up, maybe another cold front and another four feet of snow.” Those who refuse to accept reality waste a great deal of time and energy on what they would like for it to be, even though it will never happen. Self-deception turns a blind eye to reality. It’s going to happen, no matter how hard you resolve it to be different. The sooner you accept reality the sooner you can focus on what can be done, not a fantasy that defies logic. Enjoy the sunshine, for all of life is but a vapor. In your case, Mr. Snowman, it will take a bit longer to get there, but that’s reality, nevertheless.