Positivity in Politics Again
A perfect example of why we all need positivity.
While I was away on vacation, Kamala Harris chose her running mate. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. A whitey-white guy with an impressive record, morality, progressive stances on equality and rights for all, and a clear sense of humor.
For the first time in a decade of some of the most partisan, ugly, awful politics I think anyone has ever seen, here’s a force of positivity. A genuine, positive, pleasant force for good running for office. It’s like a ray of sunshine amid tumultuous, seemingly unending storm clouds.
The endless barrage of deceit, negativity, division, and hate takes a toll on everyone. Interested in politics or not, you’re probably feeling it. Thus, this new situation with Mr. Walz feels like something fresh, worthwhile, and – dare I say? – positive.
The political landscape of the past decade has been derisive, distressing, and downright scary at times. When you have Trump telling you he plans to upend the US democracy and be a dictator – and his supporters brushing it off or being duped into believing he will help them and harm those they perceive are hurting them – it’s a negativity pileup on a good day and a shitshow or worse otherwise. The false narratives of lack, scarcity, and blaming the “other” for all that ails the world is exhausting.
This just goes to show, frankly, a perfect example of why we all need positivity.
The need for genuine, non-toxic positivity
Nobody, and I mean nobody, desires to experience negativity all the time. Even the most emo, depressive people you know seek positivity and light in, from, or through the darkness.
The biggest problem with positivity today is toxic positivity. Toxic positivity tends to get the most attention. It’s the notion that you should ignore, disregard, and avoid negativity entirely. Put on blinders to it, dodge it, avoid it, don’t let it take root or pay it any mind. Rah, rah, positivity, and only positivity.
This is not how the Universe works. To have and experience positivity in the world you need negativity. Often, positivity is built from the response to a negative event. The truth is that bad things can, will, and do occur, to and for everyone. No matter how perfect and unproblematic someone’s life might appear to be, it’s not perfect. Nor is it unproblematic. Everyone everywhere has these experiences.
Nobody can or does live at either extreme. Everyone has positive and negative experiences in life. Genuine positivity is about choosing not to dwell in, be overwhelmed by, or give in to negativity and negative forces.
It always comes down to choice. Much like the coming election.
Positivity in politics
Once upon a time, the various candidates running for office told you why. They offered up promises of the good things they would do for you and me if we voted them into office.
I’m sure that saying negative things about the opposition has always occurred. However, the almost exclusive use of derogatory language, the constant harping on the awfulness on the other side, and the attacks both blatant and subtle haven’t always been the default.
Hell, there used to be a degree of civility in politics that Trump, for certain, blows off. How a person who mocks others, defaults to schoolyard name-calling, and is always on the attack has developed such a cult following is mind-boggling to me.
Hell, both sides often strive to get in the way of each other, even bragging about their obstructionism (yes, both sides do this, but it’s a lot more frequent and regular from the GOP).
When politicians show such disrespect, it’s not limited to their opponents or the “other side”. It’s also to you. Smug, arrogant, self-aggrandizing so-called leaders showing no respect to each other sure as hell don’t respect you or me, either.
This is why we need positivity in politics. You can’t build, grow, or develop much of anything worthwhile via destruction, obstruction, and blame. This is ultimately disempowering.
When you’re disempowered, you are more apt to cede control and make fewer life choices and decisions. When you don’t make choices and decisions for your life, you’ll find yourself lost, discontent, disoriented, and wondering what happened.
Then you open yourself to influence you might not otherwise accept. The years of the lack of positivity in politics utterly reflect this.
It’s all about choices and decisions
You are the only one in your head, heart, and soul. Hence, you, and only you, can choose and decide what’s right and wrong for you and your life.
When you are disempowered, you feel as if you have fewer and fewer available choices. That’s not true despite appearances. When you feel empowered, you are more capable of recognizing and making choices and decisions for yourself.
This is why positivity in politics matters. Having that be a part of the discussion and the decision-making process offers a path to empowerment. It’s no longer about “us” versus “them” and instead genuinely about ALL OF US. You can see options that include hope, possibility, and potential.
Do you like the feeling of hopelessness, despair, and terror that has dominated the political discourse of the past decade? Look at how much more divided – artificially – the nation has become as a result of it. That builds nothing of any good to anyone. And that is how negativity disempowers at every level.
The recent shift in the discussion has been like a change in air pressure. Even those who choose to largely ignore politics are taking notice. That, if nothing else, is proof that positivity in politics is not just important, but truly necessary.
Recognizing the importance of positivity in politics isn’t hard
It’s all about practicing mindfulness of your thoughts, feelings, intentions, and approach to direct your actions.
When you recognize and acknowledge having a candidate representing positivity feels good, and changes the overall tone of the election, it’s self-evident. Knowing that politics doesn’t have to be made of despair, hate, fear, and negativity to choose government leaders, a little positivity in politics can open the way to building better, generating good, and showing paths to empowerment for all.
This empowers you, and your empowerment can empower others around you.
Consciously choosing your approach to life towards positivity or negativity – from the vast cylinder that exists between them – shifts life in a way that opens greater dialogue. With a broader dialogue, you can recognize, explore, and share where you are between the extremes and how that impacts you here and now.
Choosing thoughts, feelings, actions, and intentions for yourself employs an approach and attitude of positivity for realizing amazing potential and possibilities for your life.
The better aware you are of yourself here and now, the better you can choose and decide what, how, and why your life experiences will be. When you empower yourself it can spread to those around you for their empowerment.
Thank you for coming along on this journey.
This is the five-hundred and forty-eighth (548) entry of my Positivity series. I hope that these weekly messages might help spread positive energies for everyone. Feel free to share, re-blog, and spread the positivity.
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