Positive Thinking and Self-Deception
A common argument against positive thinking is the idea that self-deception is necessary for one to be happy all the time. The belief that supports this argument is that there are events that are inherently tragic, and to be happy in the face of the tragedy requires that one ignore critical facts. This belief is untrue. For the true positive thinker self-deception is unnecessary.
All events in the universe are inherently neutral. When seen from a person’s unique perspective these objective events are seen subjectively. Subjective interpretation occurs when one asks himself the question “are these objective events for me or against me?” There are always both positive and negative aspects to any event; there are no exceptions to this rule. A person who insists that a certain event is inherently tragic is simply focusing on the negative aspects of the event and ignoring the positive aspects. Indeed, it can be argued that negative people who deny the existence of an event’s positive aspects are themselves engaged in self-deceptive practices.
The facts of reality consist of 1) the objective neutral facts that embody the event 2) the subjective positive aspects of the event and 3) the subjective negative aspects of the event. To maintain a strong grip on reality a positive thinker must acknowledge all the facts of reality, objective and subjective. What positive thinkers do is recognize both the positive and negative aspects of an event, and then they consciously emphasize the positive aspects. The positive thinker recognizes that it is usually in his rational self-interest to emphasize the positive aspects of a situation. While this is not always the case, it is true most of the time.
A person’s right to dwell on either the negative or positive aspects of an event is absolute. No one can dictate the thoughts of another person. Those who dwell on the sad and angry aspects of reality are exercising their free will. Positive thinkers realize that emotional pain is voluntary and simply choose to be happy.
