You know, I once saw a report that the people self-reported to be the happiest on earth were from.....okay, I can't remember. It was a tiny country in Europe. Anyway, the reason was due to their low expectations. Since they expected so little they were constantly pleasantly surprised when good things did happen. This ties into what others have been saying.

I was just telling someone last week that a lot of people consider me a pessimist. I expect the worst most of the time, but since things rarely happen as horribly as you think they do I'm constantly being pleasantly surprised. On the other hand, I see optimists as in a state of constant disappointment since nothing is ever as good as you think it will be.

As I've grown older I've also begun to see all the false expectations we Americans are raised on. We're all told via the media that we too can be rock stars or celebrities or millionaires, and it does take some adjustment to realize just how mediocre your life is. Give me mediocre over drama any day of the week though.

I think pentes take this American mentality and try to make it the will of God. I wonder if the spiritual competitiveness in charismania is also an American phenomena.