How To Fight Cynicism, Pessimism and Despair
Posted: Monday, January 25, 2010
by Joel Hirschhorn
http://www.delusionaldemocracy.com
A lecture by a very wise 90 year old man made me appreciate that a common practice can help us all fight the pull of cynicism, pessimism and despair that thinking people inevitably feel when staying in touch with current national and global events.
It sounds simple but requires a habitual practice: Give explicit thanks for myriad small and larger things that intersect with your life.
You have a really good meal. Give thanks.
The doctor's office rapidly returns you call. Give thanks.
You open up one of those terribly annoying mail envelopes filled with coupons and actually find one that you could use and save some money. Give thanks.
The number of time-wasting spam emails has been declining. Give thanks.
Your attempts to improve your diet and lose weight are proving successful. Give thanks.
You catch an old movie on cable that you recall loving many years ago and get to see it again. Give thanks.
On one of your walks you see a beautiful yellow bird rarely seen before. Give thanks.
You unknowingly drop one of your gloves in the supermarket and someone behind you picks it up and gives it back to you. Give thanks.
Accidental events, acts of kindness, better than usual results and so many other life experiences provide occasions for special notice and mindful giving of thanks.
This behavior is a practical way of displacing, or at least balancing, the avalanche of negative news and information that pours into our consciousness, causing pain and building up over time into cynicism, pessimism and despair.
Giving thanks as many times as possible on a daily basis is a way of keeping our brains and emotions in positive spheres, proving balance to all the negative stuff that all too easily pitches our lives downward. With so much in life that we cannot control and that makes our world seem awful and inexplicable, we benefit from focusing our conscious attention to things worth being thankful for.
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Top-level comments on this article: (5 total)I give thanks for this great article. Well-said and well-written, thanks for sharing this.
Truly a way to walk on the lighter and higher side ~ how many people have beautiful things happen to them that fall in a category of "serendipities" but because of all the confusion and/or rolling around in their heads, they miss many beautiful gifts. As you point out, giving thanks will raise our awareness and bring much peace to our lives. A great article! Thanks! Suzy
Now more than ever, with all the pain and suffering in the world, we need to see the beauty in simple things. It helps keep the hope alive. Your article is a good reminder to stay focused on the positive.
Well-said and well-written
Good article and a good reminder for us to count our blessings and see the beauty in the world. Thanks for sharing. Linda D
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