The optimistic dimension in contemporary Orthodox pastoral care. Anthropological directions

The vision of a beautiful and good world, a characteristic of the Christian religion, comes as a solution to the “depression” of modern times. Humans have within their nature a tendency towards spiritual fulfilment, through the intermediary of faith and good deeds. Hope for a better world, be it actual or eschatological, is a virtue which develops an optimistic idea of the world, a wish for communication and an impulse for acting upon it. Positive psychology rediscovers the optimistic natural dimension of humans and the mechanisms through which this can be achieved. The Orthodox worship can be considered a similar mechanism if it preserves free spirit and ludic engagement in meeting with God, different from the stress fuelled by instrumentalisation of liturgy in an act of magical kind. Those who take part in the worship are filled with optimism and hope, the motive behind which study maintains a pastoral Orthodox liturgy, based on direct experience and active participation.