delusional. Sad people not so much. Think of what happens at the end of a bout of sadness: you accept some unfortunate truth about yourself or the world around you, you perhaps cry, then you reconnect to the world with this new understanding, albeit on a slightly different path than you were on before. But that path has helped you grow and see the world without your rose colored glasses. You are closer to self actualization. And you could not have gotten there had you remained happy only.

Hes either always proven right or is pleasantly surprised.

If you knew exactly how things would turn out, there would be no point in trying. If you knew they would turn out bad, even less point. But if you imagine things will be good, whether they are or not, then you want to go find out.

outcomes. an ability to be flexible in thought. i do not see why optimism is an avoidance of truth. or why being happy means ignoring truth to live in delusion.

are we suggesting that one cannot see the truth and be happy?

if one accepts reality in all that it is, and can still be optimistic, then i think that person would way outweigh the cynic who is looking to create a scenario matching the cynism and can not see truth equally.

I don't necessarily agree with this though, the human condition has room for all kinds of behavior as well as outcomes, but we are conditioned to expect the worst. Cynicism always has a aftertaste of schadenfreude to it.

In my humble opinion, optimists are usually right. Cynics are miserable and mostly completely wrong..

"Hope for the best, plan for the worst"?

Can an optimist ever be disappointed?

Or do they really cheerfully turn lemons into lemonade? And are never disappointed?

there can be joy in the risk-taking itself.