If you are a scientist, holding the view of realism as a very important mindset for people in pursuit of the truth. Not optimistic, not pessimistic, real.

Optimists think that things will eventually be better. Which is not true. Things seem to fall out of order on itself (cue in entropy). Pessimism thinks of the worst and that we cannot do anything about it. Which is, I believe, also not true.

Being real is seeing things as it is. This leads to curiosity, to know more of the subject, to seek the truth. The reward in turn reinforces the realistic view.

Sometimes we mistake realism for optimism. So far we see a lot more good stuff coming out of the process of seeking the truth. Iphone, which is better than nophone, could be traced back to the theory of electromagnetism of Maxwell.

Sometimes we mistake realism for pessimism. Scientists want to make discoveries and seek the truth. In order to do that, we need to take a look into what’s not working now. This is hard and not always fruitful. Sometimes it is hopeless.

It is important to realize the distinction and have a balance there. Go digging and be real!