Thread by @BlastingThrough

What is Tragic Optimism? A Thread
Last week, I wrote about toxic positivity. To summarize, toxic positivity is a forced denial of any tragic past. It’s often encouraged in the military to “embrace the suck.”

In combat, and in the events that follow, it makes sense to grin and bear difficult and tragic circumstances.

But when a soldier returns home, a continual display of happiness despite having grave undertones of seriously negative emotions can be counter intuitive to healing soul wounds, such as sadness, outrage, guilt, and other morally injurious responses.

I'll talk about that issue in more detail another day. But today, I'd like to offer a contrasting method for dealing with soul wounds. It's called "tragic optimism."

Tragic optimism is an authentic feeling of positivity in which you are aware of tragic circumstances. You’ve accepted those past events, have sought help to work through the emotional pain, and have chosen not to allow those circumstances to drain your emotional present.

Tragic optimism takes work, and you can’t do it alone. You need an understanding and supportive family unit. You need professional counseling. And you need to have a personal drive to get better so that you can be the best you can be for yourself, your career, and your family.

Engaging in toxic positivity can result from moral injury and/or PTSD. However, those who’ve experienced these two clinical diagnoses can learn how to choose tragic optimism rather than toxic positivity with fortitude, grace, familial support and professional therapy.

And it's imperative to strive toward a willingness to accept things that none of us can change.

It takes work, but you are soldiers. Work is in your DNA. I’m retired SGM Mike Vining, and I'm planning to post more info each week about moral injury and ways that you can heal from it.

I believe that you can learn more positive ways to handle soul wounds, such as pursuing tragic optimism. Thank you for reading. 🇺🇸