Kurt Cobb on the Tragic View of Life

He says that "paradoxically the tragic view of life doesn't beget mere glumness" but rather "teaches prudence which can be a good thing and occasionally a lifesaver" — Does understanding complexity beget a tragic view of life? More:

It actually inculcates a more profound appreciation of those moments of happiness and bliss, for the tragic view of life cautions us that these are not the products of will and planning, but rather mostly the result of serendipity. Those with the tragic view do not believe that everything must end in tragedy; rather, they believe that tragic endings are an ever present possibility.

As we mature we are ushered into the complexities of life. But when the willingness to accept these complexities is blunted or eliminated, maturity never arrives. Many remain in an adolescent state preferring an optimistic gloss on a simple-minded model of the world.

"The tragic view of life teaches humility in the face of complexity," he later writes. "It is not the role of those who adopt the tragic view of life merely to predict tragedy," he continues, suggesting not only that "these prudent thinkers are busy identifying trends that could possibly be forestalled and reversed so as to prevent tragic consequences" but also that "it takes a tragic view of life to imagine such scenarios in the first place."