Theory of negativity: 5 cheers to the cheerless
Born-negatives may or may not be the bloody Rh-negative. In other words, their identification marks are not exactly organic, but rather a set of loosely coupled behavioral symptoms. While expecting outcomes, making assumptions or predicting future, they usually hover around with a negative bias. They may border on maniacs or depressed souls, but cannot be called a burden on mother earth in entirety. Enough has been said to glorify theories of positivity. Leaders in every sphere of life have overwhelmingly advocated the ‘be-positive’ principle; often hailed as one of the foremost contributing factors to success. I feel the urge to speak for this minority community, my community. We accept marginalization by the optimists of this world, but refuse to be condemned.
Those who believe that evaluating things from different perspectives is not insane are requested to stay on. Let’s find out why my fellow born-negatives have a right to live. Here are the classic positives of negativity.
1. We, the pessimists, foresee the worst, almost in every uncertain situation. Aren’t there words of tribal wisdom like “hope for the best and prepare for the worst”? How can somebody do both, simultaneously? They choose the first half, we the latter. Naturally we’re more immune to bad results. An unpleasant or undesirable outcome doesn’t shell-shock us. It’s them who tend to go to depression more predictably when the going isn’t great.
2. We may be touted as low in confidence, but may actually be high on fair assessment of situations. They sometimes go overboard on self-estimation and cut a sorry figure when push comes to shove, whereas sticking to ground realities would have saved the day.
3. We are not faint hearted who lose sleep by a nightmare. We have the courage to lead a regular life, take in oxygen and churn out CO2 without expecting improvement around us. We don’t count on miracles. The line between born-negatives and depressed people is thin. We, as long as stay away from depression, don’t always give up trying. We have no qualms about embracing success, as a matter of fact we love success as much as they do. But we don’t daydream on such sunny prospects.
4. Man cannot completely control the outcome of an event. Even optimists seek refuge in prayers or counselling as the future is always uncertain. It would be unfair to link the outcome of a gamble to the relative polarity of an actor. Even if there is an infinitesimal correlation proven under certain environmental conditions to favor optimism, there is no universal axiom. Let me draw an analogy. Theists, or atheists – who have higher chance of winning? It’s a choice of an individual or may be some pattern deep down in the DNA that controls the inclination. Does it really influence the end result of the game?
5. We criticize more often than we praise. Being cynical is not a crime; it may help uphold the truth and deflate airbags. Let me correct: we criticize better than we praise.
My idea is not to advertise my tiny club. I don’t hate optimists or happiness. However the promotional extravaganza of optimism overdoes its inherent merits. Dear progressives, render us a status of alternatives, if not a ticket to the mainstream. We do have a right to stay ‘happy’, in our own ways.
