Is the Power of Positive Thinking a Modern Religion?
Do I Detect Another Magic Wand
Is the new religion the power of positive thinking?
Are there more women than men who’ve embraced this spiritual state of beingness?
I don’t know.
I’m a woman, but I’m NOT a member of the above club. However, many of my female friends seem to be. What do you say, guys? If you’re walking this path, weigh in if you feel like it.
I’d love to hear from you.
I don’t personally know any men who dwell in the land of modern-cosmic design. I can’t remember the last time that a man thanked the universe for delivering what they needed at just the right time.
Women on the other hand seem to do this on a regular basis. At least the women that I know.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m fully aware that there are plenty of men who claim to believe in the power of prayer. The power of positive thinking is very similar in nature. Focus your mind on positive thoughts and if you can maintain that state of mind, the universe will deliver to your doorstep exactly what you need.
Find the time to pray and a god will eventually answer your prayers.
I’ve never had either approach work for me, but then I don’t believe in either one, so I suppose that could be why. Although I once believed in prayer, although I never felt right about asking for things for myself. I don’t know, I guess it felt kind of selfish. I was always keenly aware that there were lots of people whose lives were much harder than mine. But I was surrounded by people who prayed for a zillion things. Jobs, houses, money. protection, love, a husband, a baby, a new car, a vacation, healing, well, you get the picture.
I couldn’t do that for some reason.
I didn’t see prayer working for anyone that I knew, however. I concluded that If I wanted something done, I had to get up off my ass and do it or ask another human for help.
I assumed that refusing to think negative thoughts was just another magical cure that didn’t deliver.
I’ve not seen any proof whatsoever that the universe nor a god has a secret formula for the human animal to follow to have all their needs met. I largely see people suffering — a lot. Even fortunate people often suffer things like depression, anxiety, loneliness, illness, accidents, and an endless list of possible things that make life challenging.
So, now I’ve come to my pet peeve about the power-of-positive-thinking religion.
Stop trying to make people feel guilty about experiencing a full range of emotions. Humans aren’t designed to feel good all the time. And those who do lean more in that direction most likely are wired to do so. In other words, they’re not spreading positivity because they merely woke up one morning and decided today was the day that they’d ignore the bad news and create only good news.
They create the good news, sometimes out of thin air, because their brains are wired to do so. That’s why medication can sometimes help those who suffer from an imbalance of depression or anxiety.
It’s not as simple as just refusing to think negative thoughts.
Do you want to know a little secret. Many if not all my positive friends aren’t successful. They preach it, but can’t practice it, at least not enough to claim that they’ve achieved consistency. They keep waiting for things to work out in their favor, but often must give themselves a little pep talk to get back on the positive path.
If the rewards were as generous as they claimed, it might be easier to stay in a positive frame of mind. But frankly, their lives are just as frayed around the edges as the next guy.
Because that’s life.
Honestly, neither prayer nor positive thinking delivers a best life. A best life, if we’re lucky, comes in bits and pieces. It’s living with a sense of acceptance. Getting through life is learning to lower your expectations. Once a person realizes that there will always be another problem to solve, that in fact, that’s how we know we’re alive, then they can embrace the good, bad, and the ugly much easier.
That attitude requires a little wisdom not another fairy tale.
I’m not implying for one minute that feeling positive doesn’t feel good. I’m saying that feeling sad, anxious, worried, blah, angry, disappointed, and elated are all normal human emotions as well.
I’ve certainly experienced them all.
Frankly, if one of the above emotions dominates at the risk of not feeling anything else, I think there’s a good chance that a person has either a serious chemical imbalance or is taking mood altering drugs. They could also be in a state of denial. An unwillingness to admit that there is a problem because you’ve decided that it’s your job to be positive for the universe to deliver your best life wrapped in pretty paper with a great big bow on it is not only unrealistic but also a tad selfish.
Okay …
I’ve probably said enough. I’m not even sure why I wrote this article today. I sat down to write and suddenly the topic began to unwind. Almost like magic. Except it wasn’t magic. This is an emotion-driven piece of writing. I won’t go into the story about who or what brought me to the computer with this story just begging to be written.
It wasn’t the universe.
Suffice it to say, it was a human waving a power-of-positive-thinking magic wand in my face. Yes, a woman. Just last week, the same woman spent a whole hour sharing her personal problems with me. No, I don’t need to tell you more. I will admit that she’s a lot more fun to be with when she’s feeling positive, but unlike her, I don’t expect her to remain in a constant state of hyper positivity.
So, whenever she wants to put down the magic wand, I usually give her a wee bit of my time.
Not too much mind you. That wouldn’t be reciprocated because she can’t allow herself to be negative. It’s a lot easier to refuse to be negative when it’s someone else’s problems. Like most religions, there’s a whole lot of preaching going on and far less practicing what’s preached.
Now, ain’t that the way it goes …
Teresa is an author, world traveler, and professional myth buster. You can find her books on Amazon.
