Bummercore is Over
embracing not yet having an opinion
If you have experienced any discouragement and confusion since our last rendezvous, totally get you, you are not alone.
But, if you have had many places of wonder and elation within that discouragement and confusion, you are also not alone.
It can feel taboo, ignorant even, to go on finding delights in this life while our world, at large, and at medium…and at small, is in such shambles. “If you’re not angry, you’re not paying attention,” and so on. Yet, denying these moments of joy that can exist within seemingly dire circumstance would be throwing a tarp over the very thread needed to make anything of it.
I first became engrossed with this topic, as everything else, out of medical necessity. The world felt this necessity when we all had to return home and full-stop during the pandemic: We were finally able to see in our constant busyness, that we had been living in a self-induced frenzy. It's the same with my brain injury: once I fell out of social norms, the cloud of cynicism that haunted my conversations and media diet pierced me more than ever.
I previously delved into the neuro implications of exposure to constant streams of negativity. It turns out, the brain detritus of others can actually alter our DNA; stirring up dormant disorders and even spawning new generations of the eye-rolling, nail-biting, perpetually offended. BIG.
Now, I’m fascinated with the implications of negative thinking on social evolution and innovation. This magnificent quote by historian, playwright, and philosopher Howard Zinn says it all:
"To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness.
What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places—and there are so many—where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction.
And if we do act, in however small a way, we don't have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory."
Source: You Can’t Be Neutral on a Moving Train
Marvelous victory, indeed. Granted, “to live now as we think human beings should live,” is not an easy lot to bear. Once negativity takes center stage, no other thought can steal the limelight. It becomes the prima donna of realism, drowning out any attempt at a different perspective. It stifles dialogue, suffocates awe, and leaves us trapped in a cold, narrow tunnel with no exit .
And we’re all guilty of being entranced by the stageshow. We can be both the unconscious perpetuators and reluctant recipients of a slew of exasperated reactions aimed at heightening the feeling that our world is spiraling away. Contributing to the everything-sucks conversation because you want to feel socially included or re-sharing abominable news with a snarky quote; the ripple effect is swift and mighty.
Repetitive complainers recklessly run to the finish line before the race has even begun. The result is canned and tedious grievances that only strengthen the affliction that began the cycle. And it’s exhausting.
A study done in the UK found that Negativ-o can drain our energy four-to-seven times more than neutral-to-positive people. This demand on our energy expenditure is RUDE.
The irony is this thinking is just as delusional as the concept it criticizes. By overlooking the intricate web of both the mundane and extraordinary before us, we miss out on the full picture of reality.
Where to go? What to do? Considering all the misery has us racing toward a state of comatose mouth-gaping, it wouldn't be so bad to begin our approach from a respectful state of indifference. Hear me out…. Indifferent meaning the mental resolve to loosen our concerns and made-up obligations, rather than getting emotionally reactive and consumed.
Yes, we’re paying attention. No, we’re not instantly obsessed. We’re enduring the watery middle of not knowing.
Staying a little longer in indifference, or not YET having an opinion, we might have the chance for our thoughts and feelings to come at us with a little more creativity and compassion, which can lead us out of conflict, making our collective thoughts and actions more consistent, and, therefore, more able to actually accomplish anything.
It is in our power to have no opinion about a thing, and not to be disturbed in our soul; for things themselves have no natural power to form our judgements. (Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, Book 6)
To be clear, I am not suggesting we drop all convictions and live in a Spanx-ed, perfumed, powdered version of reality. I would never insult your intelligence by selling you on the vacancy and distraction of Positive Thinking.
On the contrary: Tension, resistance, and bouts of defeat are necessary for intention, improvement, resilience, and our most killer works of art.
We can instead adopt Developmental Thinking –a sidestepping of unnecessary emotional turmoil and futile energy drains. We can reframe our needs focusing on possibility and utility, interrupting the natural tendency towards Bummercore (noun; to complain and remain inactive. Pat. pending).
This is not the thought-cycle of an ignoramous. We are not hiding from setbacks or failures. We’re using opposition as an avenue of refinement: Conserving our energy, embracing respectful indifference, and re-entering the world armed with more precise plans and purpose.
📯 Bummercore is over. Marvelous Victories are in. 📯
Developmentally Yours,
Abigail
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