Philosophy: There’s Always A Bright Side
I guess I should preface this post (the title of which probably made the miserable among you cringe) by stating that I’m well aware that life isn’t always super-great. Even so, I stand by the position taken in my title.
There’s always a bright side.
No matter what happens to you, how boring or sad or seemingly insignificant, there’s always a bright side.
Another way to look at it is that everything (from the birth of a beautiful baby to mass genocide) can be perceived in many different ways. Our judgements of anything are just that: Judgements. Some are more universally agreed upon, but most aren’t.
I like the example of the “heavy downpour of rain.” It’s one singular event that can be easily interpreted at least three different ways, depending upon our judgement of it.
1. It’s a huge bummer for the bride who’s planned her outdoor wedding at that particular time. Bad news!
2. But, that same rain shower is a godsend to the farmer whose crops have been suffering from a terrible drought. Good news!
3. And, at the same time, it’s basically a non-event for some kid who’s inside his nice safe house, comfy and cosy, hanging out in his bedroom reading a book.
Everything has a bright side. Even death, extreme sports and all the other inhumane shit that happens all over the world, in places I never seem to be at. All of those things (and everything else) has a bright side.
And if you think you might be guilty of ignoring reality by not focusing on the bright side, I’ve got a few questions for you.
1. Are you kidding me?
2. Are you afraid that, if you manage to find the “good” in something, the “bad” thing won’t have happened?
3. And, an even better question, if you focus on the dark side, is that going to make the “bad” things that have already happened any better, or possibly prevent them from recurring in the future?
Consider that everything we declare war on, especially in the US (probably everywhere else, too, but I happen to be living here for the time being), flourishes. Drugs, speeding, terror, murder, abuse, all of it. Thriving and prospering because of the attention we lavish on it as a society.
Everything we declare war on just gets bigger and stronger.
And everything we let slide gets weaker because we don’t pay any attention to it.
And some people, like me, lead pretty decent, contented lives with plenty of time, money, enough to do and lots to be grateful for. We somehow manage to appreciate and enjoy our lives, even while the guy, living in the apartment building down the block, thinks us idiots for being so naive as to be duped into buying the “bill of goods” that “the world’s a pretty great place filled with lots of wonderful things and interesting, pleasant people.”
Of course, that argument (that the world, and/or this life, can’t possibly be all that fantastic) rests on an opposite judgement. Basically, that argument insists that we take stock of all the “bad” things that happen, because happiness, blissful unity and peace are all illusions.
Really, it comes down to a matter of opinion and outlook. Like the heavy downpour of rain in the example above, the world just “is.” Whether it’s good, bad or inconsequential, is all a matter of interpretation. And a question of what kind of life we’d prefer to live.
All you really have to do, to see the huge downside to completely ignoring the positive in favour of the negative, is take a look at the quality of other peoples’ lives.
Which of them have lots of things to be happy about? Which of them have real, material possessions that bring them comfort and peace? Which of them enjoy loves, and other relationships, that aren’t built on bitching and griping? Which of them cherish their days (more often than not) and live the way they prefer, because they refuse to tolerate the intrusion of the negative?
And which of them can find nothing in life to celebrate? Which of them possess nothing that isn’t a burden? Which of them suffer relationships that suck the life from them moment by moment? Which of them spend their time moping (presumably until the end of days) about how bad life sucks, as it, miraculously, continues to suck harder and harder every day?
But, I’m not here to tell you what’s right or what’s wrong for you, because that, again, is a judgement. And we can only judge the quality of the world, and our lives, for ourselves.
Believe the world is a horror-show if you want to. I can’t stop you, and I’m not inclined to waste the energy that I could be putting toward nourishing something more valuable to me.
Your life can be miserable if you want it to be. And if you try hard enough, like you may do every single day with every single breath, that constant misery can be a reality. It probably already is. It’s really that simple.
On the other hand, you can knock that shit off and at least make a focused effort to see the good in everything. It doesn’t cost a dime and it might not even take up any of your TV time. And, maybe, when you start to give more attention to the positive, and quit reciting your mantra of misery, you might start seeing even more good come from that. You probably already are. It’s really that simple.
Concentrate your attention on all the good things that happen in the world (well over 50% of the things going on in this world are "good,” or even better) and let those things become your focal point. How can it possibly hurt?
If you’re among those folks, insistent on being miserable, that’s fine. I, and people like me, would never deign to tell you how you should be living your lives (I merely suggest with a lot of passion). The worst we would do would be to ask you to just stay out of ours, but that almost never happens, because you largely don’t exist there and, when you pop up from time to time, we’re quick to divert any feedback until you get sick and tired of us deflating your energy reserves through lack of reciprocity.
And, please don’t think that crying about the world, or recycling outrage over past injustices, is ever going to change the situation, as you see it. Just as you shouldn’t expect that celebrating the world, or recycling joy over past wonders, is ever going to change the situation, as you see it. Even if you’re the type of person for whom this life is one giant non-event, nothing is ever going to change the situation, as you see it. Not if you continue to think the way you’re thinking now. And that can be a good thing, a bad thing or nothing at all.
Everything is a judgement call. And your judgement of any given thing determines what it will mean in your life, and what kind of energy it will contribute.
Bad = Bad. Good = Good. There a million points on that spectrum from dark to light. In essence, whatever you put in, you get back. It’s a simple equation. And the mojo works no matter what mindset you hold.
Here’s hoping you’re enjoying the gift of this life and the many wonderful things in it. All of the beautiful, magical experiences. All of the love, happiness and joy of it.
If you’re not, here’s hoping you’re as miserable or detached as you seem to prefer.
Live as you see fit. Of course, you don’t need me to tell you that. You’re doing it already.
But, no matter how you judge this world, or this life, I wish you the best. And, for your future, I wish you more of the same.
Peace,
Mike
