John constantly irritated his friends with his eternal optimismā¦ No matter how bad the situation, he would always say, "It could have been worse." To cure him of this annoying habit, his friends decided to invent a situation so completely black, so dreadful, that even John could find no hope in it. Approaching him at the club bar one day, one of them said, "John, Did you hear what happened to George? He came home last night, found his wife in bed with another man, shot them both, then turned the gun on himself!" "Terrible," said John "But it could have been worse." "How in hell," asked his dumbfounded friend, "could it possibly have been worse?" "Well," said John, "IF IT HAD HAPPENED THE NIGHT BEFORE! I WOULD BE DEAD NOW."