I had a good talk with Damir Čosić earlier today. Of and on, we have been in touch for years. He came over from New York, where he is working on his doctorate in economics. His sister lives in Zagreb, and so he drops by every now and then. As ever, we agreed on many wondrous things, but it was obvious from the start that we were on two sides of the old optimism-pessimism divide. By my reckoning, he was too optimistic by half about world affairs, and vice versa. I told him at some point about my many satirical pieces about Jacques Attali, whom I always present as one of the greatest optimists on the planet. “The way things are going,” I chuckled, “I’ll put you two in the same camp.” He just grinned at me. “Anyhow,” I did my best to switch the subject, “optimism is always more enjoyable for you.” I bet this is how Attali thinks about it, too. Come what may, pessimism is far from enjoyable to anyone, let alone to its devotees.