Monday, December 31, 2012

The Negativity of "Positive" People


So..."negative people".

I'm sure most, if not all, of us have at least one person on social networks who tends to talk about removing negative people from their life and letting go of the negative energy. Personally, I've known so many pagans and witches who talk about this that I consider it a cliche. And I have a HUGE problem with it.

For one, where is the line drawn? What, exactly, constitutes "negative people"? What is interpreted as "negative". Why is there the need to go on and on, making blanket statements about this evil, villainous subset of people? And why does dealing with them have to be an advertised, explicitly defined and announced event instead of being part of the process of life and dealing with the other people you come across.

I never see anyone talk about, for example, praising and focusing on spending more time with the amazing people they know. I never see anyone have their New Years Resolution that they're going to focus on spending more time with awesome people.

And again, where is the line drawn? Is that "negative person" that you feel so negatively toward simply depressed and doesn't have good coping mechanisms? Is the person trying to find support and a connection from others? Are you condemning someone who really just needs help? I've been that person, and so I've known the long-lasting scars that can be left from people who are trying to "be positive".

"Negative people" and "energy", the two most irritating and overused terms and concepts in modern esoterica.

1 comment:

  1. My feelings exactly. The next person who tells me to think positive might come away with a black eye. I know a lot of depressed people, many of whom are living on the edge of survival, and if I can't help them I at least listen to their problems rather than just dismissing them for being negative. The homeless don't need positive thinking, they need a house. The unemployed don't need positive thinking, they need a job. The sick don't need positive thinking, they need health. Let's stop thinking positive and start giving each other a hand.

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