PASTOR DAVE’S MUSINGS FROM THE HEARTLAND

June 11, 2023

OPTIMIST/PESSIMIST

The last of May I received a letter from the Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service.  Upon seeing the letter, my first reaction was “Now what?”  My response was somewhat colored by two letters that I had received from IRS several years ago about this time of the year.  Earlier, the IRS had sent me a letter saying that they had recalculated my return and were giving me a larger refund.  This second letter said that the first letter was incorrect and in fact I did owe the additional refund they had sent me.  It was now due plus interest.  It would appear that I had to pay interest for the IRS’s mistake!!!!

My pessimistic response to the letter from the IRS was also somewhat colored by the press they have been receiving.  There is a commercial on television that tells the listeners not to mess with the IRS for they can take your home, put a lean on your salary, and freeze your savings.  They give examples of people who owed thousands of dollars who with their help had the amount reduced to just a few dollars or nothing at all.

Generally I am a rather optimistic person.  I view the glass as half full rather than half empty.  Rather than anticipating problems, I tend to think about possibilities.  However, there are some areas where I am a pessimist.  To some degree, I agree with Nero Wolfe’s attitude toward mechanical devices, especially cars. (See last week’s article, Predicting Chaos.”)  When I go on a long trip, by car, I tend to worry that something might break.  And there is always the danger of a flat tire!!!

Over the years I have met a number of people who seemed to be chronically pessimistic.  In some cases this was due to chronic depression.  However, in others, in anticipating the future they focus on all kinds of terrible situations and possibilities.  Their basic operating assumption was that if something can go wrong, it will.  Fortunately, I have also known a number of eternal optimists who were a counter balance to the chronic pessimists.

The Book of Ecclesiastes tells that there is a time and place for every matter under heaven (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8).  Our journey under the sun is made up of good times and bad.  It would seem to follow that there are times it is appropriate to be optimistic and times it is appropriate to be pessimistic.  In addition there are times it is appropriate to be neither optimistic nor pessimistic.  Context would indicate which of the positions is most appropriate.  Never-the-less each person because of experience, temperament or personality may view a specific situation from a different perspective.  My experience would cause me to be pessimistic while your experience would cause you to be optimistic.

One thing of which I am always optimistic is that God will be with me no matter what.  As Psalm 23 says “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff—they comfort me.   You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long (Psalm 23:4-6).”

My letter from the IRS turned out to be a pleasant surprise.  They were asking me to take a survey to help them reduce the burden of preparing income tax returns.  The survey I took was extensive and the information gathered gave a fair idea of just how much effort it takes me every year to prepare my taxes.  They even thanked me in advance.