August 26, 2026: The Optimism Choice

If you could model yourself after a character from history or fiction, who would it be and why?

The question was posed at a work retreat last week, and one came to my mind from the movie screen:

Guido Orefice, the main character in Life is Beautiful, played by Roberto Benigni.

Guido, an Italian Jewish man, is one of the most positive figures in film. His optimism defines this Holocaust-era story, when his family is deported to a Nazi concentration camp.

Amazingly, Guido shields his young son from the horrors by pretending the ordeal is a game. How? By convincing the boy that if he follows the rules — such as hiding from guards and staying quiet — he will win an army tank.

Against all odds, the father’s humor and imagination preserves his son’s innocence, allowing the child to survive and later “win” the tank, just as promised.

Guido’s optimism is an act of defiance and models how joy can coexist alongside hardship. Which brings me to my own definition: Optimism is the stubborn courage to imagine light in dark situations.

When I think of Guido, I’m inspired to live and think better.