The Benefits of Thinking Negatively?…

 

I will be expanding on this post throughout the week, but for now I just wanted to get some preliminary thoughts out there before they got lost in the flurry of activity in the next few days. I will most probably finalize it next weekend or do a complete rewrite.

I am continually astounded by the environment in which I live. It happens to be a supported living building run by a nonprofit and most of the people here have acquired some physical disability during their life, as opposed to myself, who has always been disabled. As a matter of fact I had a disabled father who was a successful anaesthesiologist. This is to say that I understand that I most likely come at life from a completely different perspective than those around me. While they say "Why Bother…" I say "Why Not [try]." When it comes to facing challenges.

But clearly they must get something out of their negative perspective, because in the four years I've been here, my fellow tenants keep reinforcing it in both bold and subtle ways. From gloomy apartments to complaining about staff members who are loud and cheery. I am not kidding we have one or two people on staff who are marvellously energetic and they get complaints. So just what are the denizens of my building getting out of it, this negative outlook?

More later and throughout the week. Right now I have to prepare for my volunteering duties which I love. I LOVE to repair old computers and build webpages and in general problem solve  😄 .

• A very quick thought. I wonder if people "gaslight" themselves into limitations as a way of avoiding responsibility?
• And it's a benefit of thinking negatively simply another mechanism for avoiding responsibility in general, even though it can have very bad consequences for the person work community involved?
• Another perceived benefit of negative thinking is the ability to transfer all authority to some oppressor, thereby relieving the oppressed from all responsibility. "I can't do anything-They made the decision." Which if the person is not very careful can become a self reinforcing loop. Leading right into conspiracy theories etc.

It is important at this point to make it very clear, that I am in no way advocating a negative outlook. This entire post is on the other hand questioning why it appears that so many members of the public quietly adhere to the negative perceptions in their lives as opposed to embracing a more positive and proactive approach.

Another big piece of the puzzle is habits. Almost any action can become one. I wrote about it in an earlier post "The Power of Habits". A habitual negative reaction would be the cement that keeps this whole bizarre activity of thinking negatively together.

This I think pretty much closes out this particular entry on the blog. Of course if you have any feedback leave it in the comments. I have a goal this year for this site, to actually make it useful or at least entertaining for people. So feel free to jump in with whatever you have in mind.

Take care Patrick