We live in interesting times. Following on from @H-P-Saucecraft’s thought provoking statistical piece, I thought it would be interesting to gauge the overall mood and wellbeing of the Afterword by creating an optimism/pessimism index. Are we all chomping at the bit for the joy of tomorrow, or are we a bunch of miserable bastards who think everything is wrong, and nothing will ever get better?

The task is simple. Pick a whole number between 0 and 10 which you feel best represents your feelings about the future. Leave your love life out of it. As a fully qualified pessimist and glass half empty kind of guy, I can tell you that love never lasts, so that’s irrelevant to the task at hand. I’m talking about the feelings at the core of your being. Where there may be sunshine or showers. A score of 10 means you are supremely positive about the future, while ‘0’ suggests the end is nigh. A score of ‘5’ represents a state of ambivalence.

You can show your working if you wish. Explanations are welcome but not necessary. This is a thread primarily about numbers. At the end I will » Continue Reading.