Part Two, “The Optimism of Uncertainty” – Transition

The author Howard Zinn is definitely an optimistic person (perhaps an extreme one). Even though I myself believe I’m optimistic, I still did not quite agree with everything Mr. Zinn was encouraging. However, he does have a very important general theme which I find very important and can relate to heavily. Mr. Zinn begins with stating we should not let ourselves be intimidated by “those who have power.” He notes that many times we may feel unhappy, unimportant, or weak compared to those who have power. But he reminds us that those who seem powerful in our eyes are only powerful because we give them that strength. Those very few powerful people rely on the hard working majority of the population. Therefore it is us who grant them that power, and it is us who can take it away.

Mr. Zinn begins his message in that way because we often feel pessimistic about our lives when we feel helpless. But this feeling of helplessness and uncertainty of our lives is inevitable in everyone’s life. He gives examples how even the most richest and powerful nations have been stopped in their aggressions by poorer, less armed nations. Everyone experiences events in their life in which they were uncertain about the outcome, some of which are unfortunate; but Mr. Zinn stresses to always keep an optimistic mindset. He points out the struggles of war and poverty we face today and how many choose to focus on only the negative and be filled with despair the rest of their lives. But he argues that though things may not be perfect right now, we have come a long way from times of world war, slavery, and laws encouraging discrimination. And these progressions came about through hope and optimism.

I can relate to Mr. Zinn’s story in that I have experienced unfortunate events and changes in my life which I took very poorly. Specifically, my transition into my freshman year of college was very difficult. I had a hard time adjusting to this new culture, academia, and even weather. I had never experienced things go in such a way I did not expect them to and I was not prepared mentally for that challenge. I learned from my mistakes; I learned to keep an open mind and an optimistic one. I’m sure there will be freshmen who also have a hard time transitioning and it’s our duty to make sure they not only adjust rapidly and comfortably to their new lifestyle, but that they are mentally prepared to do so as well. To go along with Mr. Zinn’s message, I believe it’s important to encourage an optimistic mindset in the freshmen even when they think their academic, social, and/or spiritual life has taken a big hit. We need to make sure the first-year students have a successful transition in all aspects of their new life.

Jaime