Eckhart Tolle

The greatest achievement of humanity is not its works of art, science or technology, but the recognition of its own dysfunction, its own madness. -Eckhart Tolle

I don't agree with Tolle's main idea which seems to be a repackaging of the old eastern idea of meditating about nothing thus losing sense of self. I'm really against not thinking. Don't think it's quite so easy to turn it off and on in a useful way. I could be wrong though.

I do agree with this Tolle quote though. It is the moral thing to do. (To recognize, to really get to the heart of this dysfunction.) Without Tolle's main idea though, it's maybe kind of dangerous (selfishly speaking). It means seeing this world as a hell. And probably being very alone in doing so. (And I say that from the POV of looking at socialism, veganism, atheism/deism as just baby steps.)

And if a panglossist is wrong to be a panglossist, then what of the opposite? Someone purposely looking so hard for things to be critical of?

The pangloss is causing harm, usually. The opposite is surely one hell of a wet blanket. Some balance again. Coming back yet again to the fake smile versus truthseeking.