Being Negative/Cynical (And Why I Dislike It)

[FromEquestria2LA]

Lately, I've noticed that quite a few of my friends (I will NOT name names, however) have tended to be VERY negative towards life in general (especially after the election), and this kinda bothers me as a person.

Look, I know that life is not all a bed of roses. But the fact that some people I know are being overly negative about life in general doesn't sit well with me as a person.

I am the kind of person who sees that in spite of all the difficulties I have and will face and have faced in my life, I'm going to get through each and every day the best I can, negativity be damned. And to me, it makes me a more better person.

What I'm trying to say is: It's NOT my problem that some people I know can be overly negative, it's THEIR problem. I learned long ago that being overly like that and cynical is NOT good for one's health.

Tell me what you think of all this, everyone.

 

[FromEquestria2LA]

I was attacked for being insensitive (when I wasn't trying to be that way) and having a "superiority complex" over this post moments ago. UGH....

 

[Nerdpride20950]

I agree. I'm a negative and pessimistic person myself. Part of this is the way I was raised (my father's side of the family is VERY negative) and part of it is because I always seemed to get the 'short end of the stick' as the saying goes. However, my therapist helped me to see that focusing on the negative was making me miss out on the times when things worked out OK for me. I've been working on being more positive lately and am amazed at how much better I feel (even physically).

Also, I don't think your post was insensitive or full of "superiority" toward anyone. I got a general feeling of 'tough love' or 'this needs to be said' from it.

Ps: Can I just say, as a fellow Brony, I love your avatar!

 

[FromEquestria2LA]

^ Thank you for the compliment on my avatar.

And it's nice to hear a more level-headed perspective of things.

 

[hiraeth]

A lot of people see me as negative and cynical, because I don't take much of anything too seriously. I'm rather useless when it comes to talk about hopes and ideals and, I suppose, active positivity. I get excited as infrequently as I get angry. There's just very little emotional investment in general, because it feels pointless. Things always change, the world is not in our control, and in 100 years we and everyone we know will go back to the stardust where we came from. And it's great. I notice small things, like good weather, good food, a nice gesture from a stranger, whatever, and that's what my life is about, because my energy isn't stuck on the big heavy serious things that I can't take seriously to begin with.

Sometimes I take a few select things seriously, but even in that I find flexibility and a fundamental sense of playfulness to be essential, otherwise it goes sour and quickly defeats the point. It is an experience, with both ups and downs that I am choosing to have, because it can add an additional dimension to an otherwise boring daily routine. There is no ultimate meaning, no Big Deal if it doesn't go as hoped.

The funny thing is that the "negative and cynical people" you are describing also tend to get offended by me. As if I am too cynical even for them, because I can't get angry about things, because I don't care about things, blah blah blah. But it really honest to god doesn't matter. Yeah, I see the problems they're describing, and I agree they are problems, but also in the long view of history we have seen such problems too many times to count. In every era, people have found ways to get by. They've done it. We can too. The less we freak out, the more focused and successful we might be.

 

[FromEquestria2LA]

^ Agreed, about all of what you posted.

 

[Gary DuBois]

Lately, I've noticed that quite a few of my friends (I will NOT name names, however) have tended to be VERY negative towards life in general (especially after the election), and this kinda bothers me as a person.

Look, I know that life is not all a bed of roses. But the fact that some people I know are being overly negative about life in general doesn't sit well with me as a person.

I am the kind of person who sees that in spite of all the difficulties I have and will face and have faced in my life, I'm going to get through each and every day the best I can, negativity be damned. And to me, it makes me a more better person.

What I'm trying to say is: It's NOT my problem that some people I know can be overly negative, it's THEIR problem. I learned long ago that being overly like that and cynical is NOT good for one's health.

Tell me what you think of all this, everyone.

I totaly agree i personaly try to live a positive and good life and when friends are negative be like come on your alive and living so be happy and positive and then say lifes to short and hard enough to be negative so lighten up and cheer up. And all i can do is live life to the best of my abilitys and try to be nice and friendly to people i meet and know. And being negative is negative to one's health

 

[Creepi]

I agree that negativity for no reason is stupid, but if I was upset and being cynical and someone told me to cheer up because it wasn't their problem, I would probably punch them, sorry.