A few months ago, I met someone. During our encounter, I suggested three times that we should stop and move on with our individual lives. The reason was simple: I felt no connection between our personalities. Then she made a sudden and unexpected move by reaching out to me. With hindsight, my concerns were valid and/but wishful thinking took over.
“Wishful thinking is the formation of beliefs based on what might be pleasing to imagine, rather than on evidence, rationality, or reality. It is a product of resolving conflicts between belief and desire.” Note LO: italic markings in Wiki-quote by me.
Hence, wishful thinking is related to my concept of Needs, Wants & Beliefs (my blogs). You desire (or want) something and then you start wanting to believe in it. I suppose that our needs are rooted in reality (eg, food, sex, shelter, water and friendship). A conflict will thus arise.
Wishful thinking does not qualify as a belief system (my blogs). A belief system is about the willingness to sacrifice your (own) life for the belief in a Cause or Greater Good. Belief systems (eg, white supremacy) do override reality and permanently, until a “crisis of faith” takes place.
Wishful thinking is like (sitting on) a pink cloud. Elizabeth Taylor once stated: “I fell off my pink cloud with a thud”. Indeed, wishful thinking is a temporary state of mind, and reality will hit you hard in the face, once you fall from your cloud.
Nevertheless, there must be some psychological benefits involved, else wishful thinking wouldn’t exist. These benefits should relate to hope, a part of the eternal cycle of Doubt, Fear, Hope & Love (my blogs). During wishful thinking, hope is stronger than doubt and fear together.
A Fast Company article gives an interesting perspective on the difference between optimism and wishful thinking: “As it turns out, though, optimism has real benefits. In particular, people’s motivation to pursue a goal depends on two factors. One is their belief about the importance of the goal. The other is their belief about whether they will succeed at achieving the goal.”
In other words, wishful thinking is about (not) dealing with uncertainties. You know that the (risk) probabilities are against you, and/but you still continue – against all odds.
Against All Odds (1984) by Phil Collins
artist, lyrics, video, Wiki-1, Wiki-2
Note: all markings (bold, italic, underlining) by LO unless stated otherwise.
0 Comments