Being conscious of negativity

[audreyh1]

I could be mistaken, but I think these kinds of people are in the minority.

Sometimes, civil disobedience is the final, desperate act of a frustrated, mistreated group of people. They know they're only hurting themselves, but they're so fed up they don't even care.

OTOH, in this case it's some bored people, incapable of sitting still and enduring what everybody knows can't be cured, who get their jollies by collecting in a group to make noise and raise heck. If they can run around with weapons, that just adds to their fun.

They are the types who prompted the Roman Emperors to distribute panem et circenses so they wouldn't attack the palaces of the rich.

There is also the organized choreography of such people and events behind the scenes to make it look like a grass roots movement when a lot of the initial protests were orchestrated.

 

[pacergal]

thanks for the reminder, ray.
I too try to limit news to once daily in the morning and I have a good news app that I read.
I count my blessings that, so far, my immediate family is healthy and either retired, still have jobs or have been able to start UE.

 

[MRG]

Very grateful for our situation. I have been very calm during this time, that is a huge accomplishment for me. I have suffered from anxiety most of my life and calmness is an welcome change. While I think we haven't begun to see the worst of this, likely in a decade it will be a distant memory.

One of my earlier memories is sitting with my DM during the Cuban missile crisis in 1962, I was 5, and impatient. I still remember her telling me I was watching history being made. I remember her being calm, she was acting, my DB was 25 miles off the coast of Cuba on an aircraft carrier. She was terrified but acted like she wanted me to feel.

I contrast her easily keeping a child calm during distress with DF'S taking about his DF being orphaned, because of a pandemic, and him later dying at work in the summer of 1929. My dad's tales of not enough to eat and uncertainty of their future made an impact on my views. Luckily you can change your views.

Yes there's people displaying the best of human behavior and others who are doing differently.

 

[Markola]

The current Freakonomics episode goes into how humans are hardwired by evolution to pay a lot more attention to bad things, which is exactly what the news business and political class, therefore, exploits. I listened to it then deleted my news apps and links.

Summary: “Humans have a built-in “negativity bias,” which means we give bad news much more power than good. Would the Covid-19 crisis be an opportune time to reverse this tendency?”

https://freakonomics.com/podcast/reasons-to-be-cheerful/

Perfect example: In the midst of a pandemic, we have started seeing stories about why we should fear “Murder Hornets.” You know what? I’m full up.

 

[MissMolly]

I would think, but in no way do I have a source to back this up, that the reasons humans pay more attention to bad things is an innate self-preservation response. We need to know what is bad so we can stay away from it - just like any animal.

 

[Chuckanut]

We are a country of 330 million people. If only 2% are nut cases, that means 6.6 million nuts wandering around. More than enough to have a big demonstration at each of the various state capitals on one day.

As far as the gone totters are concerned, I have always believed that mixing up 'causes' is a mistake at best and an intentional deceit at worst. I wonder what the typical small town, gun owning Wyoming citizen thinks when he sees these gun totters in the Michigan capital.

 

[Markola]

LOL

 

[FIREd]

Can we keep this thread positive for Pete's sake?

 

[REWahoo]

Can we keep this thread positive for Pete's sake?

 

[bloom2708]

I'm not negative, I'm a realist. Different sides of the same coin maybe.

60 days in, many to go. "Opening up" will certainly lead to more cases. More sick and dead.

Our weather has been frightfully bad, but it is this time of year every year. We are fooled by the occasional nice day or "unusual" month.

Much to be thankful for. We are focusing on eating healthy (whole food plant based) and getting exercise. This is a great time (high prices) to not have to worry about expensive meat purchases. Kids are finishing up online school and online college.

Normal is a long ways off. Just being a realist.

 

[FIREd]

I'm not negative, I'm a realist. Different sides of the same coin maybe.

60 days in, many to go. "Opening up" will certainly lead to more cases. More sick and dead.

Our weather has been frightfully bad, but it is this time of year every year. We are fooled by the occasional nice day or "unusual" month.

Much to be thankful for. We are focusing on eating healthy (whole food plant based) and getting exercise. This is a great time (high prices) to not have to worry about expensive meat purchases. Kids are finishing up online school and online college.

Normal is a long ways off. Just being a realist.

There is a whole forum for realists like you. Perhaps you can go get real over there.

 

[walkinwood]

Nice & timely thread.

Those of us who haven't been infected should also be grateful for our luck too. For a lot of us, especially those in areas like NYC or Seattle, it was just luck that we didn't get infected in those early days before we took precautions.

I'm learning to appreciate the bubbles we live in. The bubble of affluence, the bubble that is ER, the bubble that is good health. There are layers and layers of things to be grateful for.

 

[ER Eddie]

Oh yeah. "Negativity bias" is a good thing to remember in general. Our brains are velcro for the bad, teflon for the good. Consciously shifting your focus helps. Gratitude does, too, as you mentioned. I also find avoiding the news and social media very helpful. And simple as it sounds, just doing things that give you a sense of peace and contentment...

 

[RobbieB]

Having big fun cleaning up, sorting out and organizing all the crap!

 

[CRLLS]

I have always, both in my vocation and in general, planned for the worst and hoped for the best. No matter how much I missed the "best" by, it never hit the worst. Not hitting the worst always made me happy. So does that make me negative?

 

[Gumby]

I'm not negative, I'm a realist. Different sides of the same coin maybe.

60 days in, many to go. "Opening up" will certainly lead to more cases. More sick and dead.

Our weather has been frightfully bad, but it is this time of year every year. We are fooled by the occasional nice day or "unusual" month.

Much to be thankful for. We are focusing on eating healthy (whole food plant based) and getting exercise. This is a great time (high prices) to not have to worry about expensive meat purchases. Kids are finishing up online school and online college.

Normal is a long ways off. Just being a realist.

Well done. Pissing in someone's cornflakes always brings a smile to my face too.

 

[CaptTom]

There is also the organized choreography of such people and events behind the scenes to make it look like a grass roots movement when a lot of the initial protests were orchestrated.

Not only that, but the fear- and hate-mongers on TV, radio and the internet are amplifying the message from this small group who wish to make the headlines.

I don't have a solution. I like to think they're a small minority, and our society is strong enough to tolerate a certain percentage of selfish narcissists. But there is a limit beyond which they start to sway public policy, if only to shut them up. When we self-censor or give in to fringe groups, we lose a little piece of our democracy. Not to mention more people dying from the virus.

 

[Turbo29]

Nice & timely thread.


Those of us who haven't been infected should also be grateful for our luck too. For a lot of us, especially those in areas like NYC or Seattle, it was just luck that we didn't get infected in those early days before we took precautions.

Maybe you were infected and were asymptomatic, many are. I guess that would even be better luck because then you would probably be immune.

 

[USA]

Today when DH was out for a walk I hopped in the shower. I was thinking how it is to take my time. I retired back in 2015. It’s been a while since it was “get in get out, get dressed, go out and get in to work”. I hadn’t taken time to think of it from the shower perspective. Retired life is sweet.

 

[RAE]

+1 Ray. I don't blame anyone who is still working, and especially raising kids, who is feeling beaten down by this mess. It's pretty easy sitting on a pension and portfolio, knowing I don't have to earn a living. I would be a wreck if I had to worry that my entire business sector could go down the tubes and my kids might not be able to return to school in September.

+1, DW and I are in a similar situation, and have no major financial worries at this point. However, I also have a lot of empathy for those that find themselves in situations where they can't work due to the restrictions. I never had to live through anything like this when I was working, and it must be incredibly stressful and difficult for many. I'm trying to support local businesses and small farmers, etc, by buying food and other things from them whenever possible.

 

[audreyh1]

I agree - we are so lucky! I can’t imagine dealing with this situation during my working days!

 

[ckelly78z]

My negativity realization comes from posting in the "Pet Peeves" thread.

 

[Markola]

DW “retired” from her career to escape some awful negativity, then quickly went stir crazy. Now she works part time from home and seems a lot happier. I’ve hit the calculators pretty hard in this Covid situation and think I can join her in semi retirement. Negative situations can be motivating if used correctly!

 

[Beststash]

I agree - we are so lucky! I can’t imagine dealing with this situation during my working days!

Yep, this hasn't really changed our lifestyle much. If I was still working and lost my job it would be very frustrating and troublesome. Plus, I do not breathe well with a mask. I feel for those adversely affected.

I've been spending time giving away some things that I seldom use or haven't used in years (huge brisket cooker, pressure washer, log splitter) - feels good to help others while I am at the same time decluttering.

 

[athena53]

When I look at the grand scheme of things, I know I'm better off than most through this. I'm retired and of course the investments have taken a hit but my withdrawal amounts are sustainable even under these circumstances. I miss my grandchildren- haven't seen them since mid-February and will likely see them in 2 weeks- but DS, DDIL and the kids seem to have drawn even closer. DS works from home and DDIL home-schools the kids and they're pretty much sheltering in place other than DS going out (masked) to buy groceries.

I love my home and the yard and garden keep me busy. I've also enjoyed the birds a lot more this year- I'd switched to different bird feeders and a different seed mix and am getting a ton of goldfinches. I've also gotten the bike out of the garage and had some good rides- exercise is always good for your brain as well as your body.

So yes, I'm mostly staying positive these days even though, like everyone, I have an undercurrent of anxiety. Last night I had one of those work-related anxiety dreams in which I was supposed to be working from home and was running around the office frantically because I couldn't find all the stuff I needed to bring home with me so I could do my work. And I've been retired for 6 years now.

ETA: I do follow a couple of good news sources that I trust (mostly BBC). I'm also tracking local numbers which will be input for decisions relating to when to open our church building. I skip the sensational stuff and haven't had network news on TV since I switched to Netflix only 4 years ago. I think that helps.