Being realistic sometimes sound like we have over-complicated reality, over-thought it, or we are taking a course of action (or thought) discounting most, or all, of reality.
For example, in getting ready for my driving test, I also discover that it is going to be raining. Not too heavy enough for the test to be called of, but enough that people have shown concern that the rain might affect my test. Being “realistic” could mean that I “shut out” the thought of the negative factor of the rain. It helps me to concentrate in my prepration, and perhaps the driving itself.
The pessimistic in me would sway my psychology in thinking that all will be futile; even if I were to go through with the test anyway, very very highly my driving will go bad and I fail the test.
To speak with my driving teacher would calm my nerve; and in any case, she might have suggestions. When she had to reschedule a lesson, I responded that what about delaying in for an hour which would be fine for me. Her suggestion of having the lesson early in the morning, and then dropping me at my place of work, for a far more pragmatic solution.
Another tendency in solving problems, challenges and issues is to let the most obvious solution to be realised. Much of this is about our intuition. If the wind through the window is bothering us, we shut the window, or move further from it. There is a kind of an intuitive reaction to dealing with an issue. Another example might be guessing that it would take an hour to reach somewhere A which is about midpoint to another place B, when it normally takes two hours to get to B. If we used public transport, it might not be as simple as halving the time taken to go to A, the public transport might not even take us there.
Intuitionism goes further than intuition. Building on the observation that putting an extra layer of clothing gives us warmth, intuition will guide us to put on more layers when it gets even colder. Pragmatism might sway us to wear a better quality clothing that give us warm over a range of outdoor temperature. Those who take a pessiminstic outlook might say it’s not worth the trouble to cope with the possible drop in temperature, let’s wait till the afternoon.
Well, humans are not robots, each of us has capacity to develop in our faculty of thought; but this is subject to many forms of social (and internal) “constructs”, for example, some will take more risks in decision making compared to others. Those who take higher risks might have a level of “security” in society such that should problems arise, these problems will not affect them that much, or that immediately, than if they have had little social, political and economic protection.
We cannot operate in a vacuum. Being aware of these “isms” can help us reflect on decisions we have or are going to make: what are they based on? For those whose faith is in God, is our pragmatism, intuitionism, pessimism, or some other social construct of ourselves shutting ourselves from God?
Our capacity to make decision can lead us in putting God aside. We could use one of many forms of “isms” to shape our line of thought and course of action. It’s not one or the other, and Jesus has not come to introduce a new “ism” of life. It’s critical that in all aspects of our life, we are not shutting God out.
