I just watched this interesting video (link below) about positive thinking. It feels like my whole life I have been burdened with the sentence “If you think you can, then you can” or some other similar phrase. So many people have acted as though success is just a matter of being positive, believing in myself. While I don’t know if abandoning those rules completely is the best answer, I do feel that this video has some interesting things to say about the misleading qualities of this way of thinking. In the U.S., we are raised to believe that the American dream is available to all. The big, pleasant house with the white picket fence, monetary success, and a happy family are reachable by everyone who works hard and believes in their abilities. Due to far-reaching class and social inequalities, and many other factors, the truth is that this goal is far more difficult to reach for some. When you grow up in a safe area with a wonderful family, access to good education, and money to pay for college, you can’t quite compare your experience to reach success to another’s. This method of positive thought is often used by governments to make citizens feel as though they are in control of their destinies. In fact, the video mentions that these concepts were used by the Soviet Union.
In support of this positive viewpoint, the media presents us with moving stories about people who succeeded after facing homelessness, drug abuse, etc. Perhaps one of the best examples of our generation is J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series (probably don’t need that qualifier, but just in case). They endlessly repeat the story of how she was homeless and wrote pieces of her stories on napkins, and is now one of the richest people in the world. Although this story is incredible, I doubt that while she was writing she was thinking that she could write the most popular young adult series ever created and be richer than the Queen. I think that this series is popular because J.K. Rowling wrote something honest and something that she loved in the hopes that it would lead to something better than what she currently had. I read an interview where she mentions that the dementors, scary creatures that literally suck away a character’s happiness in the series, represented her depression and anxiety. Honestly, I think her stories were successful because she explored pieces of herself that were difficult to explore, not because she set out to find success through positive thinking. In fact, I usually believe that, at least in artistic outlets, using that art purely for success is generally the worst way to go about creating something worthwhile.
Hope you enjoy the video!