Rule Number 3 – Avoid all scary movies. You can catch the occasional crime show but keep this to a minimum. If at any stage while viewing a television show or movie or reading a book you start to think that the world is really fucked up, people are just too mean and sadistic and we deserve to have the ozone layer disintegrate around us… STOP WATCHING! You will be teetering on the edge of cynicism and, before you know it, you will be sporting the latest sneer and flipping old people off for driving too slow. I’m afraid if you have gone this far there will be no hope for you and you should just resign yourself to sitting in your basement listening to rap music or that Heavy metal CD with the really mad screaming people. (I should mention at this point, if you want to remain an optimist, you should avoid almost all rap  and screaming music… sorry) Also, a good indication of a problem is, you have started using the term ‘fucked up’. Nice people don’t do this.

 I would at this point like to have a brief discussion about swearing. I stand by my statement that nice people do not swear. However, I would like to point out there are certain circumstances where only a swear word will do. In these times you should ask: 'Will using a swear word make me a more optimistic or nice person in the end?' If the answer is yes, swear away. Here are some of the occasions this could be the case:
1. You hear on the news that someone has done something terrible to a child. By- the- way if you are really serious about becoming an optimist / nice person you really should not be following the news. This can often be worse than watching a scary movie because now apparently real people are doing horrible stuff to other real people. This is totally counterproductive to becoming an optimist. You have to believe the best about people (I will explain this rule later) and the news will make you doubt every time. People may argue that it is your civic responsibility to keep abreast of current events. But I say  Is it? Is it my civic responsibility? What is civic responsibility? Taking care of the homeless? Making sure orphans have love and food? Fighting for the freedom of child soldiers? These this are important but has watching the news ever made you actually do any of theses things? OR Is it my civic responsibility to be terrified that  " 'an unnamed until 11pm' household cleaner could be responsible for keeping my child from going to college... ever..."  And then I might stick my tongue out at them. I mean 'Yes civic responsibility is important!' with a nice person smile.
Anyway, about swearing, It is (even as an optimist/nice person) appropriate to call that terrible child-hurting person a name in your head. Now if the story has made you cry, a verbal name calling can be very cathartic and promote more holistic, optimistic and general niceness.
2. An inanimate object has suddenly come to life and decided to attack your toe. If you don't swear here the pain stays in your toe and eventually the toe may die of gangrene. So in this case it is life or limb saving.
3. To make a point. I may swear occasionally in this blog but it will only be to make a point. And since it is mainly my sisters reading this blog, and they love me no matter what, I feel ok about this. Mom, I am sorry about the swearing but sometimes there is no other word. I still love and respect you though.