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Thursday, October 12, 2006

Half full or half empty


I've always been a bit annoyed at the over optimistic twits who debate the burning question of whether a glass is half empty or half full. It is a relative question. If you are at a conference dinner for 1100 people, you can look at the glass as half empty and not a snowball's chance in hell of ever being refilled by the hundreds of servers scurrying around taking your salad before you are done so that they can serve the entry quickly and sneak off for a cigarette break.


I don't think it is wrong to see a glass as half empty. It's how you react at that point that counts. Some sit there and wait for it to be filled. Others don't care because the water tasted funny anyway. Some start screaming for someone to fill it up. And finally, some simply go find the water jug and fill the glass up themselves. I think I'd hire the latter type of person.

I personally consider it optimistic to look at a glass that is filled half way and be grateful it doesn't have a hair or cigarette butt in it. But then again, I have always believed the easiest way to clear a hurdle is by lowering the bar so you can step over it. You are less likely to trip and it is much easier on the knees. This is not to say I lack ambition. I am just practical and tire easily. I'm getting to old for high-impact activities.

So the next time someone asks you whether you think the glass is half empty or half full, pick it up and throw the contents into their face and say, "I'd definitely say it's empty, now."

3 comments:

Alex Pendragon said...

As a metaphor, I think of the half full/half empty analogy to be a sorry excuse to change one's interpretation of a situation rather than change it. One might say, "half the children in Africa are starving to death", while some optomisticly clueless individual will reply that "hey, that means half aren't!" I personally don't care how much water is in the damn glass as long as one person goes thirsty.

Anonymous said...

Well, the glass I'm looking at right now has a good looking guy in a suit in it, so it isn't half bad...or is that half good?

Time said...

THE Michael, I suppose you are half right.

Miss Bliss, Bad is half good.

Shandi, Thanks, Yes, I'm home. I lift my glass to you.