The focus here is on ideas inherent in PSYCHE or PSYKHE, Greek for SOUL. In classic mythology PSYCHOPOMP or Mercury, also known as Hermes, was the guide of lost SOULS, which implicitly refers to the souls of the dead. In modern times, lost souls also include those of the PSYCHOTIC, but instead of calling for help from Hermes, we hope that PSYCHIATRISTS and PSYCHOANALYSTS may help them find a way out of their insanity.

All human souls aspire to love and immortality, as personified by Psyche. Lucius Apuleius, the author of the "Golden Ass", was inspired by ancient artistic depictions of Psyche as a beautiful tender maiden with delicate butterfly wings. His story of Eros and Psyche is about how his love for her rescued him from the hell of unrelenting erotism and cupidity. Perhaps, in return, Cupid rescued Psyche from hell or Hades. 

Venus, the adoptive mother of Cupid, rejected Psyche but later relented, and Psyche was granted  immortality. Since Apuleius, other poets perpetuated the idea that love cures lust and that profound love transcends death. Further ideas in "love" and "mind" are given in other illustrated overviews, but it is relevant to point out here that Plato stressed that "Amor like Dementia is a Powerful God".

Regarding the "soul", the Greeks stressed that it included AIDOS or a sense of "self shame" - thus that it was the restrain against manifesting pride or being immoral. The Greeks also stressed that those mortals who were mentally retarded or insane had no sense of AIDOS and that the Gods declared them to be innocent. Regarding the rest of the mortals who defied AIDOS, the Gods prosecuted and ordered Psychopompos to guide their souls to Hades or hell. Incidentally, in Ukrainian those mortals transgressing AIDOS commit "had" or "harm" and deserve to go to HADES or hell. 

In the coarser world of science, the soul is considered to be the MIND. Most scientists who understand genetics, biology, and medicine consider "mind and body" to be one. The ancient maxim - "In corpora sano, mens sana" or "in a healthy body, a healthy mind" stresses the unity of physical with mental health or sanity. Later, Biblical religions introduced the dogma that non-human animals do not have a soul and, therefore, lack the ability to experience "true pain", thus can be abused, killed, and eaten by humans. Some theologians even interpreted the painful cries of injured animals as mechanical in nature. Jewish and Islamic ritual slaughtering are rooted in the Babylonian Talmud and are represented by Shechita and Halal among Jews and Muslims. In essence, the animal is fully conscious (stunning is not acceptable) and killed by cutting the throat and death must be by loss of blood. In essence, both Halal and Shechita represent a ritual in the form of an animal sacrifice. 

Pessimists tend to feel as if "the sky is falling" and tend to react PEJOratively. Such feelings are consonant with ideas in PEIOR, PEDYOS, PADAY, or PADYATE which in Latin, Ukrainian, and Sanskrit convey ideas related to "falling". PEOR in Spanish refers to worse. A prototype of a pessimist is the great philosopher and astronomer Heraclitus, who felt insecure because "all is in flux".

An opposite psychologic tone was characteristic of Leibnitz. He was an extreme OPTimist mathematician who invented the method of calculus and held the view that "which exists is the best".

Most people have OPTions between extremes of optimism and pessimism. Otherwise, a person may become a social alien or even alienated. In any case, most people fail to recognize that choosing OPTions without knowledge implies a reliance on desires. OPTare in Latin is desire. The task of Psyche is to harmonize the pull of Athena toward reason and the desires or cupidity promoted by Cupid.

It is self evident that most people are limited regarding notions or sound opinions, or, to put it another way, have no IDEA about most of what goes on. In this sense, most people are IDIOTS, which means "no idea". The Greek root IDEIN is for "to see" and does suggest that, in fact, everybody is an IDIOT regarding some subject or another. Because the OPTics of OPTimists may help forming visions or ideas, perhaps, IDIOsyncratic OPTimists may also have healthier IDEAS about life and living.