Editorial: The Bears, the Cubs and the value of hope over doubt

We were having a conversation the other day about cynicism.

One of our editors observed, "A cynic sees obstacles. An optimist sees possibilities."

What better time to talk about this topic than today, the beginning of a new Bears season?

Hope, as they say, springs eternal.

That's largely true, although maybe not always on the Chicago sports landscape. We've listened throughout the NFL preseason to the pronouncements from many quarters of how awful the Bears will be.

And maybe they will be. Maybe they'll be just dreadful and new head coach John Fox will be wondering by midseason what he got himself into. That's possible.

But it's also possible that the Bears will surprise. Maybe not make the playoffs or win a championship but maybe surprise in an entertaining and inspiring way.

We know this: The Bears will not win a football game unless they think they can. In life, as Da Coach Mike Ditka might have said, it doesn't work that way. You have to believe before you can achieve. (OK, so we admit. That's a cliché. And a painful one at that. But it also happens to be true.)

Yes, you have to believe before you can achieve.

Here today, we stand at the precipice of an appearance by the 2015 Chicago Cubs in the MLB playoffs. Unless there is a free fall that would be epic even by Cubs proportions, the Cubs will be competing in the playoffs next month, most likely the Wild Card game.

That's a scary one-and-done game, of course. But with Jake Arrieta on the hill, it's hard not to like the Cubs' chances.

Arrieta and the Cubs did not get this far by faith alone. We get that. Faith by itself, optimism by itself, doesn't make things happen. You also need the necessary talent, hard work, discipline and perseverance.

But the confidence is essential. Try hitting a 95-mile-an-hour fastball without it. Even the greatest athletes on the planet will tell you, half the game is mental.

Think about how confidence has helped someone like Arrieta maximize his talent.

Think about how it's given him the motivation to work hard, to discipline his game and to persevere. Do you put that kind of effort in if you doubt whether it will do any good?

We're not all going to hit home runs or score touchdowns or win championships. It's a competitive world, and there are practical limits. We're not always going to be better than the other guy.

But there is no chance of success if there is no belief that it is possible. And there often is that chance if we embrace life's possibilities.

Beyond all that, isn't the game more fun when hope is by our side?