Adonis Diaries

The French author, Eric-Emmanuel Schmidt, wrote the “credo for optimism” in his book “When I think that Beethoven died, while so many stupid people live”.  The modern credo is:

I am optimist because the world is ferocious, unjust, and indifferent;

I am optimist because life is short, limited, and painful;

I am optimist because I finished mourning knowledge, and I know that I will never know much of anything;

I am optimist because equilibrium of everything is fragile, and temporary;

I am optimist because I stopped believing in progress, that progress is not necessary, unavoidable, without my input, without my will, and my sweat;

I am optimist because the worst is ahead of us and that I have to fend for it;

I am optimist because optimism is the only intelligent position when the absurd is looking us in the face;

I am optimist because it is the unique coherent action when despair is constantly whispering in my ears;

I am optimist because I am a winner in the tag of war of the unknown: If destiny agrees with my confidence then I win; if I am in error then, my life was full, rich, useful and generous.