It occurs to me that it’s extremely hard to hold on to a positive thought in this negative society. Regardless of our political, ethical, or ambitious leanings, we are faced with a barrage of negative actions, verbal and tangible, coming at us from all sides.
It’s destroying positivity. But how has this happened? Let’s say you see, hear, or read something that goes against your core beliefs. Instead of holding your anger in check, you unleashed it. Negativity thrives on hatred. Negative people attract other negative people, and before you know it, you not only don’t recognize these people with whom you associate, but you no longer recognize yourself.
This anger is brewing to a point of being explosive. It doesn’t matter who started it. It must stop, and we can stop it.
For me it’s easy. It starts with simple words like yes and no. The next time you start reeling from what absurdly crazy thing that has been presented to you, take a breath. Realize that yes, it may be intended to incite you, control you, or just plain take advantage of you. Say no. No, I will not fire back a nasty message. No, I will not accept your lame answer because I may want it to be true. Yes, I will ignore the temptation to jump on the bandwagon. Yes, I will try to be reasonable.
I really don’t mean to be preachy, and who am I to give anyone a lecture? I’m as guilty as anyone for letting my mood shift into the negative realm. But it’s time to be unpopular and tell it like it is. If you want a positive world, you must be positive. You must seed your ground with positive thoughts and fertilize it with kind actions. Soon a garden of hope will grow.
I have written the Haunted Series with the thoughts of the great balance of good and evil in mind. I’ve presented characters that are fallible but always redeemable. Like Mia, we all carry baggage of being different within us. Sometimes it just seems easier to unleash our bile than to look for a solution. My main character Mia sees the good in most everyone. Is this just a fantasy or is there good in most everyone? Do we have to be superhuman to make a difference? Of course not. But we do have to try.
How about the next time hateful clickbait is presented, maybe ignore it? The site is only there to advertise negativity and products that I wouldn’t deem worthy to flush down my toilet.
And let’s try not to judge a culture by their government or a religion by the few extremists within.
Let’s not wait for the next maelstrom before acting. Share your smile, your hope, and your positivity with others, and do it today. We can bring back our positive world. I know we can.
Alexie Aaron