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Question: In undesirable situations, how does positivity affect individuals?
“Look on the bright side.” In efforts to consol those in undesirable situations, it is natural to urge them to be optimistic. Positivity is thought, by the law of attraction, to yield beneficial outcomes. As psychologist Barbara Fredrickson found the “tipping-point” of positivity is “the exact moment when you’ve got enough of it to outweigh the negative and help you to operate at your happiest and most successful” (Onderko). The task of keeping ones spirits high is not one that can be done easily, but sometimes dwelling on the negative can yield its own benefits. The individuals of Apocalypse Now, Heart of Darkness, and The Hollow Men, encounter moments were they have episodes of hardship and choose a positive outlook over a negative view.
A synonym for positive is progressive. Acknowledging the accomplished helps one to refocus on the problem at hand. In Apocalypse Now, Captain Benjamin Willard is given the task of executing Colonel Walter Kurtz on the basis of insanity. Willard finally meets Kurtz, when he arrives at his compound and he is greeted by “Kurtz’s children”. After killing Kurtz, Willard finds Kurtz’s manuscript that states “Drop the bomb. Exterminate them all.” Willard however doesn’t listen to these directions because he realizes that the natives are not his enemy. Willard has respect for the natives as seen when he tells the men of his boat not to shoot without reason, in previous scenes. Giving the natives the benefit of the doubt that they are not harmful, allowed Willard to focus on his mission and accomplish it.
Optimism can also be used as a coping mechanism. The Hollow Men gives off the vibe that the men are trying to deal with t...
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...s-Pedersen, “change is difficult and will cause reactions” (Ross-Pederson). How we deal with those actions is the important part, uncomfortable encounters force people to prioritize and adapt. Responding to situations that are not ideal in a positive manner, create novel outlooks and get to the real essence of the problems.
Works Cited
Apocalypse Now. Dir. Francis F. Coppola. Paramount Pictures, 1979.
Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. London [etc.: Penguin, 2012. Print.
Eliot, T.S.. “The Hollow Men.” Poetry X. Ed. Jough Dempsey. 13 Jul 2003. 19 Dec. 2013
Onderko, Patty. "Tipping toward happiness: a renowned researcher offers timeless advice on getting more from life." SuccessNov. 2013: 40+. General OneFile. Web. 18 Dec. 2013.
Ross-Pedersen, Cynthia. "There is a positive side to negativity." Computing Canada 15 Mar. 1995: 11. General OneFile. Web. 18 Dec. 2013.
To conclude, positivity is the better solution to a conflict. It can help you look at things in a different perspective.Your outcome will surely be better with a better attitude. If Anne Frank, Louise Ogawa, and Ella Vangheem can do it, so can
Award-winning author Mandy Hale once stated, “Without negativity, life would be amazing.” However, this statement does not always prove to be true. Today’s modern community generates a judgement that negative experiences will ruin your life, but studies show that negativity can actually result in positive change. For example, negativity can positively change teenagers actions, introduce teenager’s to more supportive environments, and help fix broken relationships.
Oliver Burkeman, author of The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking and column writer for The Guardian, explores the human need to seek for happiness and its connection to the Museum of Failures in his article Happiness is a Glass Half Empty. Burkeman’s purpose to writing this essay is to give readers a new view on how to seek happiness – embrace negativity and expect the worst. Burkeman’s use of a friendly, almost informal tone to help relate to his readers is a brilliant attempt to catch his reader’s attention and hold it, therefore enabling the delivery of logic seem almost effortless.
Ever hear one say, “Sometimes I’m busy making others happy, that I forget to make sure I’m okay.”? After reading Barbara Ehrenreich’s Bright-Sided I have learned that balancing both positive and negative thinking is the single most important life lesson shown throughout the book. Ehrenreich tells readers that the power of positive thinking Is undermining America and how being too positive and too optimistic, can lead to trouble. One that knows how to balance the amount of positivity and negativity will create a proper outcome for their future.
At a time where the future has never looked brighter, it is baffling how some people have become more pessimistic than ever. Why do people who are faced with traumatizing situations always seem to focus on the negatives? Why is it that when people are faced with despair, they always seem to rely on how the situation looks repugnant? Science fiction stories have a tendence to show all these questioning thoughts. There are many key details in the science fiction short story book titled Masterpieces: The Best Science Fiction of the Twentieth Century that shows pessimism and has a negative tendency of expecting the worst from life and how people treat each other. This is certainly shown in the acts of communication, isolation, and hopelessness.
It is true that obstacles in life are uncomfortable and unsupportable experiences, but if we would learn to look at the bright sides of problems, keep seeking opportunities, manage situations and learn from failures then the difficulties that we face in our life would turn out for the better not only in the present but also in the
Fredrickson, Barbara L. and Michael F. Losada. "Positive Affect and the Complex Dynamics of Human Flourishing." American Psychologist 60.7 (2005): 678-686. Web. 10 Jan. 2014.
We know that the mind clings to the negative — but research also shows us that 3 times more positive things happen to us than negative things every day. At any given time, a lot of things are going right in our lives. Either in our career or in our personal lives. It could be that you enjoy what you do at work, are grateful for the paycheck, or appreciate your organization’s values or benefits. It could be the joy you derive from your family, hobbies, sports, or community service. When we savor our experiences, we derive more pleasure and satisfaction from them. Spending time enjoying and feeling grateful for what is going right in your life will help you weather the rest. Caroline spent hours every week devoted to a community service activity from which she derived the joy and strength with which to face her other
Utilizing a pie chart, she illustrates the crux of her research; 10% of our happiness is increased or decreased by our circumstances. 50% of our happiness is increased or decreased by genetic predisposition, 40% is within our ability to control. We have “opportunities to increase or decrease our happiness levels through what we do and how we think” (22). She provides 12 specific happiness enhancing activities. She implores us to commit time, resources and energy to this “intentional activity”. Promoting these changes in our lives to accommodate being happier, which will benefit everyone in the end.
In 1963, some years before Southam's summary, John Vickery had proffered an interpretation similar to the third point mentioned. He noted that "the opening lines of `The Hollow Men' with their image of straw-filled creatures, recalls The Golden Bough's account of the straw-man who represents the dead spirit of fertility that revives in the spring when the apple trees begin to blossom."(n2) Whereas Eliot may well have had any or all of these ideas in mind, I suggest that there is yet another connection to be made, namely between Eliot's "hollow . . . stuffed men" and the Roman ritual of the Argei.
“Optimism 1. the tendency to look on the bright side of things 2. the belief that everything will turn out for the best”
It’s a well known fact that optimism affects life quality in positive ways. As it is commonly understood, the term ‘optimism’ leads life to a smaller amount of depression and it points towards satisfaction. Positive and negative thoughts are expected to come. These are vital for understanding the weakness to mental distraught, to be more specific; the state of mind in which negativity is a common theme. Lately, examinations have discovered an unusual relationship amongst hopefulness and depressive side effects [7, 8], and furthermore amongst good thinking and self-destructive ideation [9]. Therefore, hope and optimism appears to have an essential directing part in the relationship between sentiments of loss and self-destruction [10]. In connection
The way a person views the world has a huge impact on his or her life. The power of one’s thinking is so strong that the course of his or her life may depend on it. Optimistic thoughts are more likely to attract positive and good things into one’s life. On the other hand, a negative outlook is more likely to bring about negative situations, experiences and outcomes in a person’s life. Negative thinking brings a person down and holds him or her back while positive thinking is uplifting. Although positive thoughts prove to be beneficial, establishing a consistent positive thought pattern can be difficult for some people. Also, there are forces outside of one’s self that cannot be controlled merely by one’s positive thinking. I believe that positive thoughts have the power to attract positive things into a person’s life.
Eliot creates a desolate and alienated world where the hollow men dream of a kingdom that could release them from the constant state of nothingness. He focuses on the hollow men’s inability to transcend although it is their only hope. He uses the imagery of disembodied eyes and fading stars to depict the state of the men’s consciousness. Aspects of the form copy the characteristics of the hollow men, as well. The speakers desire to avoid speech and his inability to complete full sentences are shown in the final lines of the poem. Eliot deploys, the hollow men represent all humankind, and their tragic existence concerns everyone.
-You’ll be able to give hope. Like said earlier, when you replace fear and negativity with positive thoughts or resolutions,