Lately, I've been hearing that it's not okay to have negative thoughts.
There's been a lot of talk about motivation, inspiration, positive energy channeling and such. Have you heard the messages of the spiritually enlightened? I have! And frankly... I am a little weirded out.
We're being constantly told to open our minds... do everything, try everything, accept everything and everyone. But at what point does all this intense positivity cross over into a world without reason? At what point do we become blinded by our own faith?
Let's get one thing straight right here: being a positive thinker and spreading positivity does NOT mean you're supposed to just go along with what everyone else says.
Let's pretend that a friend has suggested that you attend a four-day seminar on self-improvement. At this seminar, you'll get to sit in a hard wooden chair for thirteen hours a day, in a room with 400 other people like yourself. You'll get minimal food and bathroom breaks, and you'll be spoon-fed motivational speeches by qualified experts who will guide you on the path to self-enlightenment.
I guess if you were to subscribe to the new age positive thought revolution, you'd have no choice but to say "YES! That sounds great! WHERE DO I SIGN UP?" But if you're like me, the realist in you will always ask, "WHY? Why would I want to do that?"
When was the last time YOU asked why?
Was it when you were just a wee tot with a free-thinking, curious spirit? You were pretty positive back then, and yet you still had the good sense to question.
What's stopping you from asking questions now?
What's so bad about negative thoughts? What's so positive about someone else telling you how to think and feel? And above all: how can we ever make a motion for positive action if no one is willing to point out the negative and then correct it?
Consider this: without the negative, the positive would not BE.
Without the dark, there would be no light. Without the cold, there would be no warm. Without the yin, there would be no yang. And some of us can only feel complete after we've engaged a full cycle of negative thoughts so that we may rise to a higher, more positive place.
So to anyone trying to hard-sell you the idea that you should curb your 'negativity' and replace it with that which is brighter, cheerier, more bouyant, more accepting, more agreeable, and above and beyond all else, MORE POSITIVE...
Tell them thanks for the nice ideas... but you'd rather be yourself, with your own opinions and your own unique ability to reason. If it's your wish to explore your negative side with the intent to purify your own soul, you are surely allowed to do that.
Having occasional negative thoughts doesn't make you a bad person. It makes you REAL and WHOLE.
In matters of spirituality, remember this: No one shall dictate to you how to act, speak and above all think. And that's one thing about which I'm absolutely positive.
Copyright 2005 Dina Giolitto. All rights reserved.
Dina Giolitto is a New-Jersey based Copywriting Consultant with ten years of industry experience. Her current focus is web content and web marketing for a multitude of products and services although the bulk of her experience lies in retail for big-name companies like Toys"R"Us. Visit http://www.wordfeeder.com for rates and samples.
