Verse (12) ... (13)
I was reading the Hebrew additions after Wisdom of Jesus 51:12 -
"Give thanks to the redeemer of Israel, for his steadfast love endures forever;
Give thanks to him who gathers the dispersed of Israel, for his steadfast love endures forever;
Give thanks to him who rebuilt his city and his sanctuary, for his steadfast love enendures forever..."
I began to think about that which held the Jews together and made their culture survive and endure so much conflict. They had a reason to endure, God. They attributed their culture to something that should not and cannot die; and so they put utmost importance in their unity and their ways.
I began to think about how much faith this took. They had to see meaning in everything, whether good or bad, wonderful or terrible, awesome or catastrophic. The Israelites had to have much faith that God was going to gather the dispersed. They were optimistic; they had to be. They would not have survived if they did not have the meaning that their faith and optimism provided them with.
Then I began to think about how that optimism proved to be practical:
Usually I hear that it is more advantageous to be pessimistic because pessimistic people tend to be more realistic about what they perceive. They are also able to consider and prepare for problems before they happen.
But I see now how optimism is also important. An optimist can see the good and the alignment in every situation. An optimist may not be pragmatically ready by expecting the worse situation but they are spiritually ready to face any situation. Because an optimist can see the silver lining in any situation and extract the light. And a true optimist can do that no matter what happens.
The suspicion of a pessimist urges him to be ready with plans, but the spirit of an optimist allows him to be ready with spontaneity.
