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Brendan Mahony is at Vox Media. In this essay, he shares his realistic optimism and his belief system powered by optimism.
Is Life Worth Living?
As far as questions for agency folks go, I’ve asked a lot over the years. But one stands out. And no, it’s not “Do you actually have the budget?” It’s a little more, well, existential.
Because for a long time now I’ve hosted a series of talks about optimism. And I always open with the following: Is life worth living? Usually spelled out in a nice chunky sans serif over a suitably vivid full-bleed image. Suffice to say, it has the desired effect: attention.
Some people look confused, most smile, and a few look like they’re genuinely wrestling with the philosophical provocation — cogs whirring in real time behind their eyes. I go on to acknowledge it’s probably not how they thought this session was going to start. They agree. But this is the very question that gave rise to the concepts we know today as optimism and pessimism.
(To come clean, there’s a little poetic licence at work here. But whether life is a blessing or a curse is roughly what Leibniz and Schopenhauer — optimism and pessimism’s respective baby daddies — were arguing about 300 years ago.)
I finish the intro by assuming on behalf of the room that the answer is yes — hopefully a resounding yes — and explaining that by historical standards, that makes them optimists. Cue more smiles. Maybe even a chuckle or two. I have them where I want them.
All You Can Eat
Of course, nowadays, optimism is understood quite differently. Those of us who identify under the banner have a seemingly endless buffet of prefixes to choose from. Each one with its own nuance, justification, and subscribers.
Personally, I go in for realistic optimism.
I believe good things will happen — because I can make them happen. Not because the universe owes me. The world’s far from perfect, but I can shape it — or at least shift how I see it.
In short, optimism is about agency.
That’s not always easy. Many of us feel a growing uncertainty — cultural atomisation, geopolitical turbulence, and tech moving faster than anyone can keep up with — all of it adding to a creeping sense that the future is out of our hands.
In this context, optimism becomes a practice. A refusal to relinquish the reins. A reminder that — no matter how small or seemingly insignificant — the choices we make still matter.
Optimism In The Wild
At Vox Media, I’ve built a belief system powered by optimism — a way of thinking that guides how our brands and platforms show up globally, shaped by our commitment to help young people around the world develop that same sense of agency.
Because in a world where so much feels beyond our control, there’s power in every decision.
Especially when the decision is optimism.
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