1 November 2008 - means of optimism

Jay Scott : Daily Whale : archive : 2008 : 1 November 2008

You can misunderstand the world, which is stupid. Or you can have a bad memory, which is no use. So the best option is to lie to yourself; then at least you’re under your own control. How else is optimism possible?

clue:

Japanese air force chief General Toshio Tamogami wrote, in an essay denying Japan’s wartime history (which got him fired):
“A nation that denies its own history is destined to pursue a path of decline.”

Of course it’s not true. Every nation fictionalizes its history, which angers its historical victims but otherwise doesn’t seem to have much effect.

give me a clue so sweet and true