There has been a trend among a few friends to use social media to propagate generally negative thoughts and ideas. These are typically well-received and followed by a circle of virtual hugs.
There is therapeutic value in airing grievances to the world. I've been there. I've done it. Heck, maybe I'm doing it now. In fact, I'm a proponent of using whatever mental and social tools work for people. Expressing shame, paranoia, anger or irritation is a coping tool, and an important one.
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." -Aristotle
When this becomes the status quo, I become annoyed. I don't casually accept when others lay down their power and become victims of circumstance. Negativity is lauded by negative people, and attracts like-minded others. It's exclusive.
I've taken steps to avoid the circle of commiseration, mostly because it's uninteresting to me, but I feel like I want to dig back in and call people on it. As a caring person, I feel it's my duty to encourage others to see that there is a choice to be empowered by decisions to move on and to look forward at possibility.
Is it my place? Positivity, religious choices and value systems can also be exclusive. My preaching the value of living an upbeat life filled with hope and promise for future success may be analogous to someone telling me that Jesus is the answer. Maybe they're right. I've seen others have some success with religion, but I've decided that it's not for me. So I can listen to the arguments, but they just go out the other ear.
Regardless, I find it impossible to believe that anyone has made a conscious choice to not be a positive force in his or her own life! To that end, I urge you to refute the practice of introducing negativity into each others' lives, and keep a keen eye out for ways to encourage each other in upbeat ways.
