I would like to address something that has been on my mind for a while now, and this seems an appropriate time to do it. It has to do with what seems to me to be a rather modern-day interpretation of "positivity." I blame the "New Agers" and various new-agey pseudo-religions and self-help books for starting this trend in the early 80s, this assertion that "staying focused on the positive" means somehow ignoring negative aspects that need to change in our community, and choosing to only notice or dwell on things that are already beautiful and happy.
My Gramma, rest her soul, used to belong to the Unity Church, which is really big on focusing on the positivity. When she tried to explain to me, that focusing on the positive would eventually send out enough positive energy to bring peace and prosperity to the whole world, I said, "But Gramma, how does focusing on gardening and not watching the news help reduce poverty and suffering around the globe? Are you saying that if people who don't have jobs, or homes, or safe environments to live in were to just focus on the positive, that would all change?" She shifted in her chair a little, and then she said, "Well, we just try not to think about that too much."
While I know enough pop psychology to grasp the benefit of mottos like "stay away from toxic relationships" or "like attracts like" or "surround yourself with positive energy" or "focus on YOU" as antithetical to the damage one can do by surrounding oneself with a bunch of depressed and suicidal people and spending your energy and emotion trying to save them, I find it also symptomatic of the very self-absorbsion that has led our nation to a place where everyone's head is stuck in either their mirrors, or their TVs, or their favorite hobbies, or their careers, or their favorite mall, and not paying attention to, or participating in, their local process of government.
I also heartily disagree with the assertion made by many of the same people that are proponents of the "focus on the positive" philosophy that anger and criticism are negative. Righteous anger has always been a positive force for change in our world (when it actually serves the people, rather than the agenda of a political body, church, corporation, etc.) and a key ingredient to bringing about meaningful change. Without anger and criticism and people brave enough to stand up to the powers that be to express that anger and criticism, we would have had no Civil Rights movement in this country. Women would still be burned at the stake as "witches" and not be allowed to vote, black men would still be considered 3/5 of a person, and gay people would have no rights at all. Industrial plants giving residents of poor towns cancer would never be shut down or forced to control their emissions. Everything would have stayed the same if we had all just stood around gazing at pots of pretty flowers.
Occasionally, in supporting Dennis as a candidate, I have heard people say, "he's really intelligent and knows SO much, but he's just so negative." Well, I have never found Dennis to be a negative person. I have seen him righteously angry, and I have heard him criticize the things that need to change in our community if we are going to succeed in revitalizing Easton, but quite frankly, I consider that to be proof that he's one of the most positive agents for change that I have met in Easton. As far as I'm concerned, people need to get angrier--angrier and angrier until they snap out of their apathetic funk and start working as hard as Dennis does to fight for positive change around here. Dennis is no Pollyanna, and Pollyanna isn't going to revitalize Easton.
We have a pretty solid core now of dedicated WW residents--as well as other "neighbors of Easton"--old-timers, new-comers, and everyone in between--who are working really hard in various ways to make this community better. They do it by engaging in earnest discussion, whether that be with neighbors or elected officials. They do it by commenting on blogs and joining those discussions, and they do it by writing letters to the editors of papers. One of the most important ways of working hard to bring about change is by attending meetings, speaking up and taking the heat from local political authorities who are often not interested in what we think. It is our responsibility to make them care what we think, by speaking up, and then voting accordingly. I know few citizens in this community who have stuck their necks out and taken that heat over the years as much as Dennis Lieb has, while those more timid hang back to see what happens. But more and more residents are getting bolder now, more frustrated and more willing to make time to be publicly vocal about it, and that's what I call positivity. Positive people don't shy away from "negative" issues that need to be addressed in our society. Positive people do not stick their heads in the sand. Positive people speak up, and yes--when necessary--get angry.
It was really inspiring to see how many people came out determined to write Dennis in whether he won or not. It was nice to see people fed up, and exercising their choice. In a neighborhood of 11,000 people where only several hundred vote, we need more people to stick their heads out their windows like in the classic movie "Network" and shout, "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore!" (If you have not seen this film, Netflix it right away, because it's brilliant, and speaks to our times even though it was made in the 70s). In the modern-day political world, the imperative to emphasize a false notion of positivity is mandated and manifested through such a terrific amount of spin that no one any longer says publicly what they really think, rather they say only what they want us to think. So, the white house responds to Corzine losing in the Jersey election as being in no way related to the weakening approval rating of the President who went all out to campaign for Corzine. Or Michael Bloomberg, after narrowly defeating his opponent in New York by 5% after outspending him by $95 million, says that he doesn't see that as a sign that his approval is dwindling, but rather called it a "mandate" by the people. 5%, a mandate. Don't get me wrong, I like Bloomberg, but my point is that spinning everything toward the "positive" is how the game is played, and it is played so consistently, that when people actually express the truth of a situation, they are labeled "negative." Or if they opposed wasting taxpayer money on a lousy project, they are labeled "obstructionist."
In this same vein, we get Mike Fleck, calling Dennis "bitter" for criticizing politicians who think that they don't have to spend time in a community campaigning to be that community's representative. Bitter people do not put in the kind of time and energy that Dennis has put into standing up for our neighborhood, or post to thank supporters for taking the time and energy to write him in. Determinedly optimistic people do. But then Mike Fleck did not call Dennis bitter because he believes Dennis is bitter. He is calling him bitter because he wants us to think Dennis is bitter. And I am not one who likes being told what to think, by the white house (even though I support the President), by Mike Bloomberg, or by Mike Fleck. I prefer straight-shooters like Dennis.
To put it simply, Dennis Lieb is one of the most positive people I know, and we need more fighters like him if we're going to bring about the change we're after, because playing it safe, "focusing on the positive," not saying what we really think and feel and not challenging our local government has gotten Easton, and especially the West Ward, nowhere in the last few decades, as far as I can gather from talking to the old-timers here.
But there is strength in numbers. It's easy to sit back and watch somebody else take the heat, but there's a lot less heat to take, and a lot more progress to make, when we all stick our necks out together to say what's really on our minds, and fight for change.
What do you think? Is this a positive post, or a negative post? A bitter post or an optimistic post? An angry post, or a determined post?
Yours,
Noel Jones
Neighbors of Easton
Posts
8 comments:
It is a positively determined post.
I too have been struggling with being told that acknowledging that there are indeed negatives in life is an indication that I am depressing or pessimistic. Whether one agrees with Dr. Phil’s philosophy or not, his statement "that you cannot change what you don’t acknowledge" speaks volumes about what I struggle with daily. How will we change what’s wrong if we only zoom in on what is pretty, comfortable, pleasant, easy, etc.?
How do we effect change if our rose colored glasses are shading what's really going on around us?
During the civil rights strife of the 1960’s the conservative intelligencia believed Americans would overcome racial bigotry through the power of reason. Liberal elitists believed the innate goodness of people would evolve our culture into a more positive, egalitarian and racially equitable society.
However others, like Martin Luther King, Jr., were reading Reinhold Niebhur and understood neither human reason or goodness could ever bring about the justice racial reconciliation required.
King challenged the status quo of both the left and the right. He negatively assessed the blue and the red, boldly speaking out against recalcitrant leaders who were either too afraid to rock the status quo of ‘separate but equal’ or those who promoted violence as the means to overcoming racism.
King’s sharp critical analysis of Western culture and human nature, born out of deep Christian convictions, was the very catalyst that led to the victories of the civil rights movement. Along with others, he helped lay the foundation for a black man to one day be elected president. A day I never thought I’d live to see.
World views must clash in order for truth and justice to prevail.
Good post, Noel!
Allowing inequality or suffering to continue because we only want to look at things that are nice is negative. Ignoring problems or pretending they don't exist is negative.
Being aware of problems is the first step towards solving them, and if we are working to solve problems and improve the situation, how could that not be positive? [As we work on the problems, though, I think we have to focus on a positive vision of how things could be.
Absolutely Peter. My title is tongue-in-cheek, of course. It's important to balance one's attention, energy and experience between the positive and the negative for the sake of balance of perspective, and simple sanity.
There are a lot of complainers in the Valley who do not balance their perspective with any creative vision, or a contribution of energy, and that needs to change for revitalization efforts to succeed.
But there are also a lot of people fighting hard to bring change to the neighborhood, and it is easy for others to sit back on the sidelines and watch, and point fingers, saying, "he/she is just so negative!" while they wait to see if heads roll and taking no risk themselves.
I put a lot of energy into trying to do what I can to bring change to the neighborhood (in particular, to inspire political will), but I balance that out with a social life, entertainment, getting outside once in a while, etc. just like everyone else. I think my biggest balancer is probably John Stuart and the Daily Show, closely followed by Steven Colbert.
I also try give credit where credit it due and to focus on vision as much as I focus on problems--my greatest vision being getting the same 69% that voted for Obama to vote in local elections. I like to draw attention to the beautiful historic homes we have in the WW and the good property owners that take care of them, which is why I try to feature a different photo every week on the home page of the blog : )
Fascinating posts all, thank you kindly!
I consider myself a Pollyanna in Hell at times; other times, I'm a raving ranting Hell on Wheels. Being a Gemini, the Twin, I have no trouble being both, sometimes both at once! (Poor long-suffering hubby Earl).
Like my great saint Oscar Wilde said: "Life's much too important to be taken seriously."
That's not to say, like Joan Crawford in the privacy of her PepsiCola board room responding to an attempt to sush her, I don't yell "Don't f* with me fellas!! This ain't my first time at this rodeo!"
That said, I do find that I cannot feel grateful and resentful in the very same moment. So, since life is short and gets shorter each precious day, I choose to be grateful, which leads to serenity, if only for that moment.
From that place of serenity, simple answers emerge regarding what "action" for me to take next. Then, at the effective hour, I simply act, then move on.
Whining, complaining, and naysaying have never been of interest to me. I'd rather get busy. I'd rather do what I must to change the situation through action, or instead go elsewhere, temporarily or permanently, to where things are already as I prefer them.
Most folk do not have the courage to take action based on their convictions. Those who do are my heroes, like RevDrMLKJr.
In my LGBTQAetc Community, the actions that my husband Earl and I take are often met with disbelief, annoyance, and/or shunning.
That's OK - sometimes the oppressed the the biggest obstacle to the end of the oppression. The brave actions of the willing few are, indeed, the only things that have moved us beyond the stone age. Why stop now?
ooops, last paragraph of my comment should read:
That's OK - sometimes the oppressed ARE the biggest obstacle to the end of the oppression. The brave actions of the willing few are, indeed, the only things that have moved us beyond the stone age. Why stop now?
I definitely agree with Peter and Tim, there has to be a balance. I consider myself to be a very positive person (self taught) because I was birthed in an environment that was anything but positive and lived most of my teenage years and early 20s paranoid, fearful, critical and overall a grumpy smurf.
That side is still a part of me but I had to learn to focus on the positive so that I didn't get consumed by the negative. That being said, I don't live viewing the world with rose colored glasses just extreme optimism that I have the power to change my reality. That if I believe nothing good could ever come from living in the West Ward then that is my reality. But if I believe good can come from it, and I plug myself into where that energy is, I will find that what I believe will come to pass. I lived in Easton 9 years and only in the last 2 years have I been truly engaged into the community and in the last year actual come to love where I live and am not focusing my energy in leaving but staying and making it a better place. That's the power of positive thinking. But you have to be willing to Think AND Act... as faith without works is dead :)
Post a Comment