· “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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