A Writer's Notebook, Day Nine-Hundred-And-Ninety-Seven

I have been spending time on Clubhouse the past few days, and it is interesting.  In some ways, I feel very strange about it, and there are certain aspects of the communities I am encountering that I am not fully comfortable with.  There is a great deal of positivity, and that can be good, but it is also so important to recognize the importance of more.  In a discussion this morning, for example, some were discussing the need to keep a positive attitude and not indulge negative emotions and how this can be empowering, allowing one to take on whatever is to come.  For some, this may be true, but it is also necessary to realize that other emotions can be valid responses and can bring positive change to the world.  Many times, anger is a legitimate response to circumstances that are oppressive.  One needn't look farther than the last year's events to see how anger and pain can be channeled towards creating positive change, and how those things can be a natural and necessary response to events.  I think, as well, the desire for positivity can be dangerous in other ways, not only internally, but also in how we can dismiss others who have real issues of their own.  Their are many who have cognitive reasons for their responses, such as those with depression or BPD, and just pretending that is purely a mental attitude is harmful.  Even more, we can become unable to accept ourselves, or acknowledge what is truly wrong, because we only want to allow in the positive.  It can be, of course, great to shift your attitude, to see things in a new way, but it is also necessary to be able to be honest about what is and is not working, not just maintaining optimism and believing that is the key to success.

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