So... my friend Vixyyfox recently did one of his stories and I was about to reply when I got to thinkin 'bout just how often, and how easy, people confuse these two states of being; Pessimist and Realist. Quite often the words each uses are so similar that most just assume it's the same thing and there's no real difference. Politicians use this tactic a lot... speaking in one direction with enough ambiguity to allow themselves to say, "But that's not what I meant. You're twisting my words." So... what IS the difference between a Pessimist and a Realist?

To start with, actual hope, not wishful thinking. Yup... there's a difference. Actual hope is just that... you really DO hope for the best (or something better, at least). Wishful thinking is when you put one hand behind your back and cross your fingers. Your words say you're hopeful but your heart says, "yeah... not gonna happen." Reactions to the end result will show you the difference. Actual hope gets a big smile, maybe even a tear, as their hope comes to fruition and becomes real. Maybe they didn't expect it to really happen but that doesn't make it wishful thinking... that makes them a Realist. A Pessimist is the wishful thinker. They might even SAY they think it might happen but their hearts are laughing their ass off inside. Fingers crossed behind their backs... they don't believe it will happen. So when it does, their faces always have an 'astonished' look about them... not exactly tears of joy here... just a collective "say WHAT?"

For as long as I've known the fact (which is a damn long time), I have said that mankind is a doomed species. The general reply is "You're a pessimist." My reply is, "No... I'm a realist." I have science and history to back me up but we all know when it comes to history, mankind is doomed to repeat it because they don't learn from it. Decades... nay, Centuries... nay, Millennia(s) have passed by and we still continue to do the same stupid we've always done. The definition of evolution is "to evolve"! Something we seem to have decided it's not our thing. Here's where the 'Realist' part comes into play. A Pessimist would say "Mankind is doomed." and mean it in their hearts. Fingers crossed behind their backs. Totally believing that "it'll never happen (evolution)" even if they make side arguments that it might happen. This is for show, ya know? Pessimists generally hate being labeled "Pessimists" and most will argue against such a label. But if you could see, and listen, to their hearts, those hearts would be laughing their asses off and saying, "Hell no it's never gonna happen!"
The Realist says it's not gonna happen... but hopes (very hard) that it will. We live to be proven wrong and enjoy it when we are. We hope like hell but... we've also walked the miles and lived the road and know every pothole and stone. We'd love to be an Optimist... to smile and say, "Of course it'll happen! You just have to have faith." But we can write a book bigger than War And Peace and not cover half of what we've seen in rebuttal. Life is brutally honest. An Optimist walks naked through it. A Pessimist sits down by the roadside and says, "Why keep walking? It's just gonna get worse." A Realist buys the best shoes and a good shield and starts walking behind the Optimist.