As of 2018, in-flight accidents have killed 19 astronauts. The current statistical fatality rate is 3.2 percent. Think about it — 3 people out of 100 will die in space. Occupational hazard of being a temporary space denizen is enormous. I’ve read in Astronaut's guide to live on Earth by @Chris Hadfield that astronauts take flight preparation dead seriously. Every flight realistically means that the are chances this would be not only the last flight, but the last everything. So every bill should be paid, every debt returned, every document taken care of, including your will. But surprisingly this dire realism nudges people not to less optimism, but to more! One starts to appreciate life more, and one’s sure everything is at its best possible form and shape as it should be. Yay!
So my Optimism, when I manage to find some, is always realistic optimism. I strive to be grounded in reality as much as possible (and it’s never ever possible entirely, even theoretically). This is optimism that is not based on closing one’s eyes on problem, but on learning enough about it to realise that something can be done — and doing it, with whatever resources one has.
(Facebook post)