Most days, via the general media, we are bombarded with stories about how things are NOT working. How bad things are. Part of this has to do with the fact that our brain is structured such that there are far more neurons given over to sensing danger – looking out for stuff that can hurt us, or family, our clan – than there are neurons given over to looking for cool stuff. Stuff that can help us, our family, clan or business. The sad fact is that media and pundits have learned that they can get “mind share” from us far more easily with the negative than with the positive. Our brain goes on ALERT when someone tells a story with a bad /angry / danger/ they’re out to get us / look out for... kind of theme. Our brain gets comfortable, warm & fuzzy when we hear the good story. Mostly, after hearing a good story, we want to connect with people, be with friends, do good and solve problems wisely & creatively. Think about how the headline above caught your attention and got you reading. Would a headline like “Positive thoughts for the day” have sucked you into reading this rant as effectively? I bolded some of the words that hook our danger brain. My theoryy is that this kind of "editorial" work is how mainstream media keeps us attentive.
So. It’s important from the point of maturity development, becoming an elder, living a good life, and basic brain health, that we also find ways to get the stories that feed our sense of positive possibility. But you should NEVER do this. Here's why:
Sorry, that was just a cheap trick to get you to read further... I've been going to school on the various negativity mongering pundits. Maybe I can get a job on radio!? Joking aside, here's the truth as I see it:
I have experienced, both in myself and others, that the more I counterbalance the constant negative of standard news with the steady positive news that is available if you look for it, the more comfortable, warm & fuzzy my day to day life becomes AND! The more skillfully I’m able to deal with the crappy danger, negative stuff when it comes my way or comes at my family, community or business.
I have also seen people move toward fixing / overcoming / resolving some of the gnarly issues of our time as they begin to surround their mind with stories of positive, stories of possibility, as counterpoint to the negative. I see business grow, marriages improve, parents strengthen, and smart public policy development when this shift in attention occurs.
Don’t mistake my message here.
I’m not saying that we should crawl in a hole and murmur positive affirmations to ourselves like Stewart Smalley on Saturday Night Live. I think we need to stay informed. Not so we can have the back and forth “ain’t it awful” conversations. You know, the conversation where we find someone who sees the world in the same negative tones that we do, and we pass the time just complaining back & forth: two Democrats complaining about Republicans, two Republicans complaining about Democrats, women about men, men about women, boss’s about employees, employees about boss’s. Kids about their parents, parents about their kids.
And all for what? Because we really want to figure out a way to fix things? Because we’re really curious about understanding how intelligent educated creatures could see the same world and arrive at a different conclusion? Let’s be honest.
It is so we can get a little buzz from our danger brain, while at the same time helping ourselves feel safer/connected because we have a like-minded individual in front of us. A clan member. This is a nice pastime. A nice mental game. Ain’t it awful club membership feels good. Belonging makes us feel safe for a moment. But it actually puts us in more danger. It inhibits us from thinking creatively. It keeps us from learning. It prevents us from solving problems. It blocks us from finding any wisdom that might reside in another’s perspective.
So. Here’s a nice tool to energize your innovative brain. A tool to fire some positive neurons. A method to help remind yourself that gnarly issues can be solved. There is a group of people who have been running a series of services that have as their purpose counteracting the constant bombardment of the negative. This Monday, I was greeted with a great story. It’s here. You can subscribe to this service by clicking on a link in any of their offerings. I highly recommend it. I don’t find time to read all of these things, and some are more interesting than others, but it’s important to get them heading in your “eye gate” when possible.
If we continue to energize the correct part of our brain, perhaps we can continue to create the lives for our children and grandchildren that our creative, problem solving elders have created for us.
That would be cool! Er.. Ahem... If we don't do this, very bad things will happen. Very Bad! :-)
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