Spirituality and Wellness
Peggy McDonagh
On Being Positive
My mother lives in a small country town in a 111-year-old house beautifully
surrounded by a large and splendidly landscaped yard with rock gardens, a
variety of trees and flowers, spacious lawns, nifty little nooks and crannies, and an
impressive deck. This lovely property created and cared for with love by Mom is
encircled by large trees that provide privacy and a calm environment.
Last summer as I sat on Mom’s quaint but tired-
looking wooden bench swing delighting in the birds
chattering, the rustling wind in the trees, and the
buzzing of insects,
I thought about the
severe storm that had
hit in the early hours
of the morning with its
spectacular lightning,
thunder, and torrents of rain. Nature certainly has
its forceful moments of power and destruction
that can wreak havoc in our lives. I thought about
how creation offers both a negative and positive
expression of its mystery.
However, there seems to be a tendency to regard
nature from a negative perspective. The weather
is an all too common topic and source of constant
complaint. We are consistently bombarded with
reports on hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, and storms.
I wonder why we gravitate toward the negative so
readily and downplay the positive in life.
Recently I read C. JoyBell C.’s description of a
striking painting of nature:
There is a magnificent, beautiful, wonderful
painting in front of you! It is intricate, detailed,
a painstaking labour of devotion and love! The
colours are like no other; they swim and leap,
they trickle and embellish! And yet you choose
to fixate your eyes on the small fly which has
landed on it! Why do you do such a thing?
Why do we do such a thing? It seems to me that
negativity permeates our human approaches and
responses to life.
Evolutionary
psychologists suggest
that although people
prefer the positive,
we are genetically
hard-wired for
negativity, the fight-or-flight response to the
environment. Because we are drawn to the negative,
we obsess about it. The majority of what is incessantly
reported in the news focuses on the negative, the latest
disaster, or act of violence, the most recent scandal, or
the degradation of the planet.
A good news story rarely makes the front page
of a newspaper or is the first newscast on TV or
radio. It shouldn’t surprise us then that many
people are depressed and anxious and not only
think negatively about life but also fear it.
Interestingly, studies have shown that
people who read an inordinate
amount of news can develop
post-traumatic stress
disorder (PTSD).
There was a farmer who
had become disheartened
with his farm and farm
life. The story goes that
he was so disgruntled
The potential to be positive exists
in every situation and interaction.
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