I'm convinced that Negative thinking is good, and Optimism is messing up society

Originally posted by arpgme
reply to post by newcovenant

 

The secret is garbage. I believed in that crap for a couple of years, I was young and stupid so I know for a fact it doesn't work, of if you "Believe" it does - you are just taking coincidences in order to use that as some type of "evidence" for your belief in it.

People imagine many things that do not come true. What about the children that believe they can fly and wind up jumping over houses and killing themselves? Sorry, but it is either coincidence or non-sense.

Of course relaxing the body makes the body work better, but either way, each moment lived is a moment closer to death...

Of course, successful people are more positive. It is all about luring people into their business and if you be negative people will stay away from your business - people like the "dream" - the "fantasy", so appeal to that and you are likely to do better.

It doesn't make it the truth or reality, however...

edit on 2-12-2012 by arpgme because: (no reason given)

The Secret, which I didn't read was a miniscule part of the point. Thanks for the review though but chances are great I never would have read it. I understand the universal "like attracts like" though and the law of attraction, which that book is ultimately based upon.

reply to post by newcovenant


That is what I'm referring to - The Law of Attraction.

You can "want" and "believe" all you want, doesn't mean it'll happen.

There are religious people in poor countries that REALLY believe in their God but when they pray for food or health, it doesn't "manifest" - just because they believed it would and they starve to death anyway.

Maybe you can choose to be "positive" and "block out" the negativity, but that doesn't change reality. Just your VIEW of it...

AMEN.

OP's posts in this thread have more truth per inch screen space than I've seen in a long while. I do not think intentionally negative is quite the right angle. selective perception in ANY direction is still skewed.


PREACH arpgme!

Originally posted by arpgme
reply to post by newcovenant

 

That is what I'm referring to - The Law of Attraction.

You can "want" and "believe" all you want, doesn't mean it'll happen.

There are religious people in poor countries that REALLY believe in their God but when they pray for food or health, it doesn't "manifest" - just because they believed it would and they starve to death anyway.

Maybe you can choose to be "positive" and "block out" the negativity, but that doesn't change reality. Just your VIEW of it...

And what you intentionally or inadvertently attract. I've seen it happen. Of course it isn't 100% effective but definitely a phenomena worthy of notice.

reply to post by arpgme


It is all about blocking it out.

I was having a discussion once with a couple I know. These are the kind of people who donate to charities and goos banks and what have you. They always think they are doing the right thing. One day, my friends wife was on a on her high horse about how wonderful they were that they were so generous that I decided it was time for a reality check. I explained to her that the clothes she wore were made by kids in sweatshops, how her fancy electronics were made in china by some teenage kid who lives at the factory. How the gas she fills up her crar with was paid for by the lives of Iraqi and Libyan familieswho were casualties of wars fought over oil. More importantly, I explained how the big rock on her wedding ring was mined by some African kid who was probably eventually worked to death.

I'm not allowed back at their house. Lol.

reply to post by newcovenant


Opposites attract.

Like objects repel.

Originally posted by metaldemon2000
reply to post by newcovenant

 

Opposites attract.

Like objects repel.

Yes. Opposites can attract and like objects repel when you are dealing with magnetism but that doesn't negate the law of attraction. Like attracts like.

reply to post by watchitburn
Life and reality is what you make it.

...then, all the worst things will keep happening to you, which will validate the very premise you spout...in some circles, its called self fulfilling prophecy...it is in a sense a proof of the theory of the law of attraction...which is most often ridiculed using the childish arguments put forward in the OP...

In a world where 'instantaneous satisfaction' is expected, the thought that a process, such as the one ridiculed in the OP, does not work instantaneously...then means...it does not work...and therefore the opposite must be true...

What utter garbage...

Becoming a 'realist'...IS changing a viewpoint!
...being unprepared IS complete stupidity...
...being completely unrealistic is peurile...

Hope, is based upon the notion that change is a realistic 'goal/aspiration'...positivity, creates the circumstance/mileau for hope to live...negativity can blind you to the opportunity for change in any 'good' way...you literally WILL NOT SEE IT...
Positivity is based upon a notion which 'sees' the change at any and every opportunity - because opportunity is boundless, except when it bounded by belief that nothing will change - which is a totally unrealistic viewpoint to hold...and reaps what it sows - fulfills the belief prophecy...this is the mechanism we trip at every moment...

Where there is a will, there's a way...

Ties very well into all the stupid 'There is no FREE WILL' threads we see...

The process does not care whether you believe it or not...because in either case, it works as it should...and those who would rather gripe about how they cannot fly yet, or haven't won the mega millions...be a little more REALISTIC...give the gravity of it, its due, be humble for christs sake, start small...and don't expect 'instantaneous'...just like you wouldn't expect to be a concert pianist...just because you thought positively about it...do some friggin' work!

A99

Originally posted by newcovenant

Originally posted by metaldemon2000
reply to post by newcovenant

 

Opposites attract.

Like objects repel.

Yes. Opposites can attract and like objects repel when you are dealing with magnetism but that doesn't negate the law of attraction. Like attracts like.

Uh, with electricity too.

Electromotive force is the basic principal on which the universe works.

What school did you go to?

For what your talking about I only found a bunch of new age websites. Your "law of attraction" was made by people with very little understanding of physics who are just trying to sell a few books/products. These new age beliefs are totally adverse to science, and even religion in some cases and if even a small portion of the human race were to believe in it our species would be taking a giant leap back in progress.

Just because a bunch of people say it on the internet and post pretty pictures on Facebook with unicorns and rainbows doesn't make it so. New age crap is designed to prey on weak and broken people who should be seeking psychological help. Its easy to get you hooked on and once you are in there are a million shysters waiting to screw you out of your money (which you gladly hand over to them).

I am personally related to one of these crooks and its absolutely disgusting on how she goes about ripping off people going through crisis. Meanwhile, thousands of people are taken in by her and she is somewhat of an "authority" on the subject. If they only knee how terrible of a person she was and hownher life has been one giant con game after the next. She has openly admitted to me that its all crap, the whole thing. All this law of attraction (which I thought was pretty stupid anyways) and fairy dust BS. Its just a facade people use to hide the harshness of their reality that they are unwilling to accept.

Anyways. Please leave this law of attraction (that wacky version) out of the conversation. Too many of you clowns on ATS these days. What happened to this site? Used to be lots of intelligent discussions on here.

reply to post by newcovenant


Oh and "like attracts like" is BS. I'm surrounded by people that I hate. The people I would rather have as company either dint exist or don't exist near me. I know these real do-gooder people who really have no idea what goes on outside of hockey and reality TV shows and I am so the polar opposite of them its not even funny.

Even my wife, we have absolutely nothing in common, don't share any of the same friends. We can't even watch TV together. We are exact opposites.

Looks like science wins again.

"Life's a crap sandwich, every day we wake up and take another bite." Words to live by.

On a more serious note, I tend to embrace the philosophy of expecting the worst and hoping for the best. It tends to treat me very well. If you expect the worst possible outcome, you're prepared for it. When/If things go better than expected you experience more joy. It's like winning the lottery!

I tend to the realistic optimistic point of view Boncho and some -not many- other pointed.
As far as I am concerned, at least.

I have friends sticking to "expect the worse, so that you would never be disapointed". But believe me...I'm far happier, and far less anxious than they are.
They go for a job interview and are pretty sure to fail...and actually, they often fail.
I have never: when I apply to a job, I am quite confident that I can get it, and I really think it's somehow "felt" by the interviewer.

When I see a beautiful girl...I try to get her! With optimism :-) Most of my negative friends won't even try...the point is: I happen to get laid sometimes ;-) Or I spend a nice moment chatting with her in front of a coffee...and that's enjoyable.

When I face harsh moment in life, I really face them, believing in me, believing in my ability to stand up.

And you know what? Lots of people come to me when life is hitting them hard, they talk to me, listen to me, and I give them a bit of my optimism. And it works (because they keep coming back :-) asking for more smiles and "there there...of course you will succeed, be proud of what you are, be confident!".

This way of life has never failed me. It's not alway been easy...and I'm not blind either. But the key is to have self confidence: we can achieve a lot...we can face a lot...and it might be a bit bold, but I think positive things happen a lot more when you are positive.

Life can be a bitch, fair enough. But she's a beautiful bitch.
Of course, it applies to me, a western guy, living in a free an wealthy country, so it's easier for me than for people in third world countries, of course. It stands to reason. But as I am so lucky...I think it would be an offense for far less lucky people to think in a negative way myself.
I have money, I have food and water, I have shelter, I have a job, I have a girlfriend...I have to be positive.

reply to post by arpgme


I think so too. There is a reason why Pandora had hope in the box as well......

The ancient Greeks did not see it the way we do.

I find that HONESTY, is supreme. All else is a mind killer.

A hopeful people are a dumb people. A willing people will never be fools. Resolve is not cultivated by waiting idly by and letting things happen, "hoping" for the best.


Even a touch of negativity is good. All in moderation.

Still, it is a fact that when you think negative, negative things happen to you.
I've been VERY negative thinking, and the worst # used to happen to me, day in day out. The littlest things, small potatoes, but allready being negative about everything, it will magnify the littlest things and even worsten the (allready negative) experience.

When thinking positive, if then something bad happens, you can put it in perspective more easily and realise that nothing is as bad as it seems.

Reply to post by arpgme

Balance, grasshoper..........balance.

Thinking negative is ok for certain times and situations obviously. It's natural to think that way sometimes. The thing is, it can become habitual. Negativity is linked to anger, and we all know that it's easier to be angry than it is to be upset. So thinking negatively too much will lead to behavioral problems and anger problems.

Always try a balanced approach. No one grows by only focusing on the negative.



Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

Off course, we have to be realistic and be aware that no matter how positive you could be, bad sh** will still happen in life. It's just a matter of how you look at it. If you think by being positive you can eliminate ALL negativity inside you and around you, then you are completely wrong.

Originally posted by spinalremain
Reply to post by arpgme

 

Balance, grasshoper..........balance.

Thinking negative is ok for certain times and situations obviously. It's natural to think that way sometimes. The thing is, it can become habitual. Negativity is linked to anger, and we all know that it's easier to be angry than it is to be upset. So thinking negatively too much will lead to behavioral problems and anger problems.

Always try a balanced approach. No one grows by only focusing on the negative.

 

Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

 

You've been able to sum it up in one word. Balance.

"Those who say they would have right without its correlate, wrong, or good government without its correlate, misrule, do not apprehend the great principles of the universe. One might as well talk of the existence of Heaven without that of Earth, or of the negative principle without the positive, which is clearly impossible. Yet people keep on discussing it without stop; such people are either fools or knaves." - Zhuangzi


The nature of the universe is balance... Our insistence that one must exist without the other tends to be what invites the other to show us our hubris.

That is not what being optimistic means. It doesnt mean not being aware of your situation, not trying to problem solve, not realizing what faults may lie in self or others that is contributing to the various difficulties around us, ignoring the world and those in need.

Being positive means, consciously being aware of our thoughts, taking time to work out the negative ones, sometimes asking what lessons they are teaching us and seeing where they lead in childhood say, and solving, it means, seeing and envisioning good outcomes to situations, good things happening. If you have faith, you can add prayer to this. Spirituality, you can add meditation and visualization.

If you are in a negative mood, feeling like a slump, picture the sun inside of you and the frequency raising to joy. Strive to elevate your mood with nature, birdsong, sunshine, hugs, meditation and strive to reach a higher feeling, and from there, shine solutions to your problem ask for them.

See the world waking up, and committees of citizens striving for eco farms and grass roots empowerment meeting with leaders who decide to not go the dark path of slavery any longer and are co-working with citizens to create abundance for all. See solutions. See good things.

It does not mean burying your head in the sand like an osterich however, but not giving into the emotional charge of negativity or dark situations, where at all possible, and where its possible to turn them around, starting to do so.

Some situations are very much more difficult and dangerous and need immediate efforts to survive in.

If you've ever cloud work, pictured shapes in clouds or dispersing clouds, you'd find out that, thought creates, or co-creates. And that means taking responsibility as much as possible for our thoughts and not allowing them to be hijacked.

Searching for, finding life goals. Working out life paths, and striving to reach those paths. Being positive is a very good thing to do. Its a gift to all around you and the world in general.