"Hope, optimism, are the key to recovery, both for an individual and for society as a whole"
On a Schiller Institute panel “The Art of Optimism: Using the Classical Principle To Change the World,”, Jacques Cheminade said:
Enthusiasm, love of beauty!
Sublime blossoming of great souls.
"These are two short verses of Lazare Carnot’s poem, “Ode to Enthusiasm.” Carnot was a key figure of the French Revolution, known as the “Organizer of Victory.”
"Carnot reached the top of glory during his lifetime, after fighting both the internal and external enemies of the Revolution, the bloodthirsty barbarians at the French Convention, for example, and was finally thrown out of France and exiled to Magdeburg, Germany. Despite the lack of recognition from his own compatriots, he never complained, and fought for his ideas until the last moments of his life, always enthusiastically optimistic, hoping always for the best to happen. His commitment is the secret behind such a relentless optimism, the sublime blossoming emerging in a great soul...
"Look at Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Jesu, meine Freude.” It’s pure enthusiastic optimism. Joy—joy at the birth of Christ as a potential for the good and the beautiful. And, Bach adds, “may my joy endure,” a commitment to keep that joy alive, even among the worst pains and worst dangers. It is hope, hope in the sense of true optimism; it is also one of the three theological virtues in Christianity, along with love and faith....
"Pessimism is intrinsically an evil sickness. Hope, and optimism, are the key to recovery, both for an individual and for society as a whole, and our society is mortally sick."