The Fine Line Between Naivety and Pessimism

Trust is a concept full of complexities. It’s arguably one of the most important feelings and skills us young adults have to develop as we come of age. Trust within others, yourself and the world. 

Being too trusting can cause heartbreak, while not trusting enough can fester resentment within your life. 

In this gray area, lies the battle of pessimism versus naivety. As the saying goes, too much of anything can kill you. 

What is Your Guard Really Guarding?

Avoiding disappointment, heartache, grief or any type of suffering is something every human being strives for. Attempting to live as the most peaceful version of yourself is a normal and natural desire, yet fighting for it too strongly could potentially create more harm than peace. 

Fear of hurt creates a guard within ourselves. This fear is innate and definitely sometimes necessary. Your gut can be an extremely helpful tool in protecting your mind and body. Although, your guard can grow too tall, blocking out not only the bad but everything else around you.

If you purposefully try to avoid any type of negative feeling or experience, you are potentially missing out on a plethora of other experiences that could be prosperous. Every risk has a reward and every reward has a risk. 

Deciding to date again after a rough heartbreak, applying for a new job position after receiving a rejection or attempting to make a new friend after your last awkward encounter. All of these experiences could be scorned by past encounters, making you stick up your nose at the idea of ever trying them again.

Instead, think about if everything goes right. You fall in love, you get the job, you make a new best friend. 

Ignorance Isn’t Always Bliss

Like we said, trust is full of complexity and conflicts. Having a certain amount of faith that things will go right is important for growth. Putting yourself out there and risking hurt is a part of life that is impossible to neglect.

Being too trusting and not working to protect yourself at all is also not an efficient way to exist either.

The hurt that you ever so live to avoid, the one we mentioned a few sentences ago? That will stem from being too trusting or naive.

You got your heart broken because you ignored the warning signs. You applied to a job position you really wanted above that was above qualifications, because you thought maybe they’d like you for you, only to have gotten rejected. You tried to breakthrough to the mean girl in class because you thought she might’ve just been misunderstood and turned out, she wasn’t. 

Ignorance, naivety or too much trust. Call it what you want but no matter what, ignoring the truths that are right in front of you can end in disappointing matters.

The truth of the matter is, being overly pessimistic or overly naive can both lead you to the same point.

Finding the balance between the two is something that someone may never perfect, but as life evolves and as you encounter different scenarios, you’ll be led closer and closer to the right choices. 

Have you ever been stuck between naivety and pessimism? Let us know by tagging VALLEY on Instagram @VALLEYmag.

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