Gabriel García de Oro, philosopher and coach: “We live under an obligation to be optimistic”

Constant positivity can become its own kind of pressure, philosopher and writer Gabriel García de Oro argues in an article for Cuerpomente. In what he describes as the era of “good vibes only,” the demand to stay optimistic leaves little room for doubt, reflection or the possibility that life may not produce an immediate positive result.

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We live under an obligation to be optimistic, we are obsessed with the search for immediate and positive results, and that leaves us no space to reflect.

Drawing on Byung-Chul Han’s ideas in The Spirit of Hope, García de Oro examines how hope has been replaced by what he calls an empty form of optimism. Optimism, in his definition, is “a faith that assures us everything will turn out well if we simply maintain a positive attitude.” Its appeal lies in its simplicity: everything will be fine.

Hope makes a different promise. It does not guarantee a happy ending, but it gives uncertainty meaning. “Hope tells us: ‘I don’t know how things will turn out, but I know they have meaning,’” García de Oro writes. For him, the difference goes beyond language. Optimism can lull people with the promise of a good result, while hope helps them face uncertainty with a sense of direction.

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A faith that assures us everything will turn out well if we simply maintain a positive attitude.

He links the loss of hope to an obsession with immediate, positive results. “We are obsessed with the search for immediate and positive results, and that leaves us no space to reflect on what meaning there is in what we do,” he writes. Hope, by contrast, requires effort, patience and attention to the reasons behind our actions. García de Oro also points to the Spanish words “sentido” and “destino,” which use the same letters in a different order, as a reminder that finding meaning is part of moving toward a destination.

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Hope tells us: ‘I don’t know how things will turn out, but I know they have meaning.’

His answer is not a formula but a change of pace. Hope requires people to slow down and listen to what truly matters, including signals from the body. “Sometimes, all we need is to ask ourselves and, above all, pay attention to the signals from the body,” he says, describing physical sensations of resonance as a possible guide.

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Sometimes, all we need is to ask ourselves and, above all, pay attention to the signals from the body.