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“Let us rise up and be thankful,
for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we
didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at
least we didn’t die; so, let us all be thankful.” – Buddha
Why in Dickens’
name are people so negative now a days, especially when there is so much apprehension,
fear, and sadness in the world – a time when we could all do with a whole lot
of hope, dollops of love and tones of optimism?
Distressing isn’t
it?
If it is not
jumping on the pandemic bandwagon and going all out to prove that there is no Covid
and the whole thing is a hoax, propagated by some one or the other, to criticizing
the various vaccines and helping spread false information, or the very latest –
attacking the new US President who has been in office for 2 days- this is
just so crazy. At times it is laughable and at others, exasperating.
Relax- take a long walk, go for a jog, breathe
deeply meditate, calm your nerves, pray, and just reflect on the great harm you
are doing yourself and those around you – society at large, if I may.
Negativity
in any form, is toxic, pessimistic, gloomy, and extremely cynical, to say the
very least. You are being sceptical, downbeat,
and disagreeable, and no one is appreciative or amused- and there are so many
of you out there.
Have you
never heard that negative emotions cause plenty of harm and little good? They are
self-destructive, will eat into you and make you ill and then you have families,
friends and colleagues too. Introspection is key.
Always
expecting the worst, making mountains out of molehills & willing bad
outcomes is BAD and I am certainly not searching for a synonym to soften the
impact.
Here is
something which I read, which makes perfect sense.
‘Negative attitudes are actually inherent
feelings of helplessness and hopelessness which create chronic stress, upsets
the body's hormone balance, depletes the brain chemicals required for
happiness, and damages the immune system. Chronic stress can decrease our
lifespan and ruin beautiful relationships’.
Our
"negativity bias" translates into frustration and disgust for
everything and everybody, and people end up spending valuable time, ruminating over
minor everyday problems —traffic, career dissatisfaction, health and family issues
or a disagreement with a loved one— and ignore the many chances that we are
given to experience wonder, awe, gratitude, peace and love throughout the day.
If
you go searching for what is wrong with the world, you are going to find something
or the other which is not ideal or perfect, in your eyes. That will be your
starting point, the igniting spark which ‘gets your goat’ - after which you
will go off on a tangent, rave and rant and in the process, unnecessarily ruin your own mental equilibrium, for no rhyme
or reason whatsoever .
I am
certainly not advocating the fact that you must be upbeat and positive 24/7-
that would be foolhardy and rather ignorant on my part. We cannot be positive
all the time- after all, we are human.
Now.
there is a school of thought that debates vociferously, that negative thoughts
are good for us and suppressing them is bad. Their arguments do make a certain
amount of sense and I am not disputing that fact.
According to the study,
attempts to suppress feelings such as anger or sadness can reduce our sense of
contentment. Point noted, appreciated, agreed with, and understood.
However, spewing forth
negativity into the world around you with frequent regularity, is something which
needs serious consideration coupled with a deep understanding and acknowledgement.
Ultimately, however
difficult the situation, we must accept the rough and the tough periods in our
lives to make the smooth and the future, that much better. To use a
cliched phrase – every cloud does have a silver lining – being ready and
willing to wait, search for and find it is key.
So, the choice is ours
– Gratitude or resentment?
Remember - gratitude is an extremely powerful catalyst
for happiness. It brings joy to the soul, peace to our lives, makes sense of our past, brings
peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.
·
Echoing the words of the Lutheran pastor & theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer “I’ve had a remarkable life. I
seem to be in such good places at the right time. You know, if you were to ask
me to sum my life up in one word, it would definitely be gratitude.’’
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