"The painful thing is that when we buy into disapproval, we're practicing disapproval. When we buy into harshness, we're practicing harshness. The more we do it, the stronger these qualities become. How sad it is that we become so expert at causing harm to ourselves and others. The trick is to practise gentleness and letting go. We can learn to meet whatever arises with curiosity and not make it such a big deal" --
Pema Chödrön
Most people went through some sort of a moody grouchy teenage years of rebellion in one way or another. You question authority, you talk back to your folks, and you resist everything bright and chirpy while crawling into that little dark miserable cave called Puberty, with emo songs like Creep by Radiohead plugged into your ears no less. Moodiness seems cool and being dark means sexy.
While some teenage Darth Vaders and Voldemorts eventually grew out of their moody broody phase to be more-adjusted adults with just the healthy amount of scepticism, some got stuck in their own black clouds in their adulthood, spreading their bad vibes everywhere they go through osmosis or otherwise.
And spreading the bad vibes they did. Right to the social media platform of Facebook lately in fact, making me extremely repulsed and disgusted. I post cute animal pictures, they comment about animal abuse (completed with a whatsapp photo of maggots oozing out of a gaping open wound sent to me!! WTF!). I post a warm fuzzy photo of tiger and piglets getting along, they slam the photo being a zoo sham. I share happy positive post and pictures, they spread negative news about mankind, cancer or other shitty tragic news. I update my status on happy things, they rant about being angry and woe is them. Yes, you get the drift. "I'm merely injecting a sense of harsh reality and practicality" they said.
As a former broody teenage Darth Vader who hated almost everyone and everything, my ascension to the bright side of Care Bear and Rainbow Brite doesn't tantamount to being ignorant of the harsh reality or sweeping the sharp shards of worldly problems under the carpet and pretending they don't exist.
Being positive has nothing to do with thinking that everything is fine, nothing is wrong and all is well. It's about knowing that there're many things wrong and things are way far from perfect but let's make the best out of it and not be miserable about it. It's about finding a sense of equanimity in times of adversity while not losing your sense of joy and humour. It's about realizing that gripping on all the bad things in life gets you nowhere and only attracts more bad things as it's the simple law of attraction.
More importantly, it's also about doing something about the things you're not satisfied with. My new pact as being a Care Bear means that instead of whining and getting bitter about all these poor kittens and puppies getting abused, I DO SOMETHING about it by donating monthly to the Cat Welfare Society and volunteering at the SPCA. Instead of feeling sorry for the underprivileged children, I contribute monthly to Club Rainbow and participate in the annual toy collection drive for the kids. Do I see those Darth Vaders and Voldemorts do something? So far, I haven't, unfortunately.
My message to all the Darth Vaders and Voldemorts out there is simple: If you haven't got anything positive to say, then don't say it to me. It's okay to wallow in your own black vomit of negativity, but just don't go wet-blanketing us with your bad vibes and bash positive people/things/message. Happiness really is a choice, and we Care Bears and Rainbow Brites make a conscious effort to guard our happiness with all our might, stay on the bright side, and see the good in things as we solider on. Simple as that.
Why be a bitter miserable sod when you can be light and happy? Don't be Darth Vader! Choose Care Bear! Breathing through that ugly mask can't be that fun! Besides, we've got cookies and chocolate on the bright side!
