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Positive Change

Most people know and understand that being positive is beneficial for us, yet it appears that there is always someone trying to rain on our parade. I would say that in the beginning, trying to be positive is like searching for silence in a noisy world. The world just appears so loud, overwhelming, and filled with noise, but you have this special, instinctive feeling and you know that silence exists. Most of these people are not intentionally trying to create obstacles, but instead trying to offer advice and support. Due to the way we are raised in society, many of us have been conditioned to react in certain ways. Whether it was preached to us from friends and family or ingrained into us from past experiences, the mind has been conditioned to react autonomously.

This is a case of Freud’s classical conditioning theory. Basically in his experiment, every time prior to feeding his dog, he would ring a bell and then bring out the food. He did this for a period of time and eventually the dog developed a symptom where it would salivate when the bell rang. The dog would still continue to salivate even if no food was offered as long as the bell rang. Salivation was not the dog’s intention, nor was it the dog’s conscious control. The theory applies to us as well. Throughout time, we have conditioned ourselves to our current mindset, attitude, and reactions. Most of the time, this is our subconscious acting out and we are not even aware of our actions.

Whether it would be phases like, “be realistic!” or “prepare for the worst and hope for the best!”; they act as limitations. It is actually a fear of unfavorable outcomes and it offers a temporary cushion of comfort. I understand that sometimes decisions do not appear in the best interests of the individual, but we should provide direction and support instead of shattering dreams. The world can be a very cruel place, but we are individuals that make up this world. If a thief decides to break into your car and steal your stereo, it doesn’t mean that you should go out and steal someone else’s stereo. If that was the case, the whole neighborhood would be thieves and this logic applies to attitude and mindset as well. The difference is that the act of stealing is an intentional act; whereas expressing your attitudes and mindset are unintentional and subconscious. Therefore, it can become quite contagious!

If you look deeply at families with a history of child abuse, domestic violence, or alcoholism, you will realize that it runs in the family and down the generations. Constant exposures to similar events and situations will shape and condition how you react in daily aspects of life. The solution to this dilemma is to open your eyes and become aware of the flaws in your character, accept it, and change them. Instead of thinking, “this is how I am and this is what I will be”; better yourself through discipline. Think about it this way: If you saw a horrible future for yourself, would you try to change it? I’m almost certain that you would. Now, take a look at your present life because you are initially shaping your future through your actions now. Before you smoke that cigarette, imagine the repercussions. You can change your future!

“The Earth is moving at tremendous speed around itself and around the Sun. We forget that we are actually sitting on a spaceship, only this spaceship is big, therefore we think it is static.”

It sounds exciting to me! I am on a spaceship with all my friends and family while I watch this spaceship get upgrades and facelifts. I have a home address that represents the location to my house and it does not change unless I move to a new residence, but is it at the same permanent location? The answer is no. From a universe standpoint, the location of our house moves every second. Relative to Earth, our house moves due to plate tectonics. If we look at a map from a few thousand years ago, the alignment of the continents will look drastically different. Things are always changing and have been for many years. The only ‘constant’ that I see is, the world is constantly changing. Do we want to change with it or be limited by our narrow perception?

Although we have been conditioned to respond in peculiar ways, it is not permanent and can be changed. As we correct the flaws in our character, we will be conditioning ourselves to respond positively and be able to project ourselves into the world. Changing ourselves, influencing our peers, and providing a positive influence that will shape our world. We can become better individuals while making our world a better place!