The Optimist
by Laurence Shorter
Buy on AmazonWhen it comes to bad news, we’ve never had it so good. Laurence Shorter is feeling anxious. Every time he turns on the radio or opens a newspaper he finds another reason to be tearful. It’s time to make a change. It’s time to meet some positive thinkers. The Optimist charts Laurence’s quest for inner happiness. Can Desmond Tutu bring a smile to Laurence’s face? Will he ride out the tide of pessimism with California’s famous Surfing Rabbi? Or will it fall to the ultimate icon of optimism, Bill Clinton, to show Laurence the brighter side of life? The Optimist is a hilarious and life-affirming stand against the grind of everyday strife.
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"Laurence Shorter picked up on something that I think all of us are aware of – that there is a huge pessimism bias in the world around us, particularly in the media. He said that he was getting sick and tired of turning on the news or reading a newspaper, because all the time it just seemed to be bad news and negative stories. He thought, surely there is a brighter side of life? Surely there is a way of becoming more optimistic and finding optimism? So his book is about his quest to go out and find a brighter side of life. He does several things. He visits scientists who have been working on optimism and he learns a lot from them. He talks to Buddhists who teach him about meditation and about being in the moment. It really is a fun read in terms of his efforts to try to find a more optimistic way of thinking and way of being. I am not sure whether he manages it in the end, but it is quite light-hearted and a fun read. Absolutely."
Optimism · fivebooks.com