Is the glass half empty or half full?

John P. Kretzmann and John L. MKnight’s book, "Building Communities from the Inside Out: A Path Toward Finding and Mobilizing A Community’s Assets," outlines their asset-based approach to community development. The introduction part defines both need-based and asset-based approaches, and how asset-based approach focuses primarily on leveraging existing strengths within the community for development rather than boosting community deficiencies in need-based approach. Both approaches relate to the famous expression, “Is the glass half empty of half full?”, generally used to indicate a particular situation or an individual’s viewpoint could be a cause for optimism(half-full) or pessimism(half-empty). In this case, half empty glass represents the general notion that the communities are weak and deficient and have a lot of needs. While, on the other hand half full glass represents the notion that communities and the residents have many strengths and capabilities to survive.…

"A strong positive mental attitude will create more miracles than any wonder drug" Patricia Neal There are many advantages that can be gained by simply thinking positive thoughts. One such advantage is the important role it plays in daily stress management. Our ability to cope with stress is to a certain extent governed by our outlook on life. Generally, the more positive outlook on life that we have, the greater our stress coping ability will be. Is the glass half full or half empty? Your…

of controversy and discourse exists on the metaphorical glass of life and how we should view its contents, whether it be through a “pessimistic” or “optimistic” eye. However I do not think these two titles should be the only ideas viewed within this topic. There remains one aspect of contemplation that represents itself untapped. It is the way in which we create and uphold hope. Hope often caresses and carries its owner, but only occasionally does it offer consistently positive effects. This…

ARE WE OPTIMISTIC OR PESSIMTIC BY NATURE? Optimism could be viewed as a state of the mind that influences one to trust that the best things will dependably transpire. A typical colloquialism used to outline optimism (good faith) versus pessimism (negativity) is a glass with water at the midpoint, where the confident person is said to see the glass as half full, yet the worry wart sees the glass as half empty. Optimistic people tend to consider affliction to be transitory; all the more…

One of the worst pieces of advice I 've ever been given is to look at the glass as half full. Which, I mean, I understand the idea, but shouldn 't we be a little more specific about the contents of the cup? What if the glass has arsenic in it? Regardless of whether it 's half full or half empty, if you take a sip you 're going to die -- and who is drinking from this class anyway? I guess the assumption is you drink from your own cup, but the scenario completely changes when someone else gets…

Do you see a glass as half empty, or half full? This rhetorical question has been used to separate optimists and pessimists for centuries, but, how far does it actually go? How can such a simple attribute as seeing how much water is in a glass (or not) really categorize your way of thinking? The novel “Of Mice and Men” by author John Steinbeck explores the struggles of migrant workers in the 1930’s and is laced with the themes and motifs of loneliness, friendship, hopes for a brighter future,…

if you ask yourself it will blow your mind thinking about it. One out of the five question that really hit home was “what is man?”. Many philosphers have their own thoughts on this question but Friedrich Nietzsche really had a great point of view and the way he processes this question took the words right out of my mouth. Perspective of life is everything; Friedrich Nietzsche has a unique way too think what it means to be man. He believed that in life you can be one of two people you can be an…

Optimism can be a world or an individual view. According to a study if parents had an optimistic outlook then the children would also but if they were pessimistic the children acted the same. The way optimism functions is the way we chose to make decisions, if we see a positive outcome we may use different actions. Some examples of optimism would be seeing the glass half full instead of half empty, when a new door closes another one opens and seeing a light at the end of the tunnel The ways…

consequence, I often neglect my own needs until I cannot take it anymore. This constant build-up of stress effects both the short term and long term. By not giving myself time to recover from the demands of being self-less I encounter cumulative stress. It can also be a good personality trait to have because it allows me to feel good about myself. When I do good for others it makes situations feel more eustress than stressful because I feel good doing it. Just the two parts of my personality…

Ever heard of the Butterfly Effect? The Butterfly Effect is a theory that one small decision in our life may affect something else in the future. As a human, you tend to make these decisions on a daily basis, all the time, every time. The author of the text, Truth About the World by Lloyd Alexander, explains this theory well. Events can shape a person's life in many different ways and shapes. First off, events can shape a person's life by changing their looks and health. Paragraph 3 says, "By…