The Philosophy Of Positivity And Change
With a multitude of stories of despair coming to the forefront, we are left perplexed about what and who to believe. What is the truth? How do we define anything? What do we preach henceforth to coming generations? What is the ultimate way forward in unchartered territory?
Negativity
If our actions and behavioural patterns are a result of our past experiences and generations of learnt behaviour, if very little is left coded as right or wrong, we now have choices to make. The first choice is effortless – sit back, be an observer, criticize and complain – disgruntled about the state of the world, the pollution, the economic slowdowns, the environment, the injustices, the inequalities and the crime. The negativity will ensnare and spread, emerging in different facets of your life – discontentment, anxiety, stress, depression – the effect on one’s wellbeing are documented.
A New Premise - Positivity and the Commoner
The second choice is to find another approach. Positivity is the only attitude that can endure. Solutions have to work on new premises – the premise being ‘this is what REALITY is’, and we now have to ‘work within the system’ and move forward to create ‘a better system for tomorrow’.
Most fortunate in this territory is the educated common man or woman - the ‘in-betweeners’. Fortunate, because we simply have nothing to lose, but only gain, when it comes to being a part of societal change. Time and effort may be lost in such endeavours – but these are limitless factors. The ‘in-betweeners’ are all those who are not social workers, data analysts, policymakers, lawyers, media or large-scale influencers – those who do not carry the stresses of performance targets, numbers and livelihoods. We are the everyday small-scale, micro-influencers. We influence the person sitting to the right or left of us or standing in front of us. And that is possible for every individual to do.
Spread the message, pass on the tools and hope for the best – may it help someone tomorrow if they are caught in extremely unpleasant social, workplace or domestic environments. If multiplied, this would be powerful – someone tomorrow could be a friend, an acquaintance, a relative, a colleague or a stranger that you come across. Your one word or positive action may set forth a chain of events and stir others to movement.
A NEW DEFINITION OF WRONG
Varying opinions, lifestyle choices, diversity, diverging viewpoints and discourses are the new norms – if celebrated and accepted they add great value to an individuals’ life and broaden their horizons. The less judgmental we become, the more willing we are to leave our comfort zones and face our fears, the more we are able to experience life. But all this philosophical rhetoric still leaves us in the same quandary we started with. What is right and what is wrong, because nothing is now black or white.
For me, there seems to remain only one unrivalled definition of ‘wrong’ now. I would simply state it as - the intentional harming of another person. Whether it be warfare, violence, murder, racism, physical abuse, mental abuse, sexual abuse, harassment or rape. In all degrees, they are wounding.
And full circle, we are back to where we started, in relation to the topic at hand. Harassment and abuse are the intentional harming of another human - physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Use the appropriate channel or tool available - voice, peer group, committee or law and try to halt it. It is not the hypocrisies or inactions of the past, but our deeds in the present that may define our tomorrow.
