Cancer and optimism might not seem like they go together but they can and they do.
Over the years I have developed an Argus-eyed optimism and although sometimes bruising, this keeps me forever hopeful and positive.
But this is not blind optimism detached from evidence and therefore delusionary.
Being an Argus-eyed optimist is the opposite of that.
It is being very vigilant and ultra-observant and always on the look-out for threats and opportunities. It’s knowing the odds aren’t great but still keeping your spirits up.
Having cancer and surviving cancer keeps you on your toes and you have to have eyes in the back of your head. You are always on guard.
But having eyes in the back of your head aren’t enough. You need them all over from head to toe.
In Greek mythology, Argus Panoptes was a hundred-eyed giant with the ability to perceive everything from any angle. He is usually depicted with multiple eyes on his body.
It is said that when Argus slept, not all of his eyes would be closed, as he always kept at least one eye open. His name is an apt one as Panoptes means “the all-seeing one,”
Being on the lookout for danger goes with the cancer territory. We have to have unparalleled vigilance and be watchful for any changes to our bodies. Admittedly, CT and MRI scans do most of that work for us but we still have to tune into our own bodies and flag up any concerns.
Where does optimism come into this?
Well, having a 100 eyes helps us keep a look out for all the hope, positivity and optimism that there is out there. Being an Argus-eyed optimist enables us to see the good in the world and we find plenty of it! Having a serious illness can be hugely constraining but it doesn’t stop us from still experiencing happiness, enjoying magic moments and feeding our health and wellbeing.
The Argus-eyed optimist is always on the look-out for the good stuff, the good people, the hopeniks, hopepunks and hopemongers, the cartwheelers and kite flyers, the hoisters of happiness, the Cloud Nine Coordinators and the force multipliers. For my full list of who to look out for then see this blog.
Delving into the name Argus can help us understand why this name is so fitting. Argus comes from the ancient Greek word “Argos,” which means “bright” or “shining.” Like Argus, our eyes and our optimism never dim.
Like Argus, having ‘multiple eyes’ means we are always looking for what can make us smile and we can almost always spot it! Okay, so we can’t possibly be all-seeing but optimists do see more positives than anyone else. We are curious and seek out the good.
Again, we aren’t deluding ourselves here. Argus-eyed optimists are wise enough to know that life is not sweet tea and magnolias all the time and recognise reality when we see it. We know that successful living requires a fine balance between optimism and pessimism.
But ‘multiple eyes’ also allows us to to see through deceptions, illusions, false claims and fake news, especially when it comes to so-called cancer ‘cures’.
Having your mind wide open to the positives in life means that as an Argus-eyed optimist you can see what others can’t. When there is rain, you see the rainbows. When it is dark, you see the star systems. You see the invisible.
Cancer means it can be exhausting living on the qui vive all of the time but as Argus-eyed optimists, we are especially skilled at looking for and spotting hope, happiness and high spirits. Binocular vision is not enough to see the world of positives.