Writing in the affirmative

Long ago, somewhere among the many books and articles that I have read, I came across an interesting idea: you can't unlearn what you learned. You can only change how you think about what you have learned.

As a part time online activist, I consider this whenever I write. I am mindful to keep it positive. If I agitate for change, and bring notice of something negative, I also include a call to some positive action. I don't just talk about the negative, I also talk about what can be done to change it. If I write about a problem, I write about a solution, too.

In all of my articles, especially my political articles, I leave room for disagreement. In the words I choose, I'm not saying everyone else is wrong and I'm right. I'm merely saying, "Hey, check this out. What do you think?" I write to get feedback. I want to see if there are others who think like me. I want see if there are others who have considered similar notions as I have.

But there is something else that I like about writing. I can write as affirmation. I write about my ideals because I'm idealistic. I write about how good the world already is. I think about how good the world could be and write about that.

I dream of a universal recycler that can take all the waste created by mankind and render it harmless. I dream of a universal basic income so that people can focus on the work that they love to do, not the money. I dream of transportation systems that add to the environment, rather than pollute it. I dream of solar, fusion and molten salt reactors to provide clean, plentiful energy so that we need not destroy the environment that makes our life possible. I dream of a world where everyone has a voice, and where ideas are supported and implemented as a result of merit, not money.

I write in the affirmative not because that is how the world is. I write in the affirmative because that is how I want the world to be. There is plenty of ill will out there and everyone has taken part in some way. It is unfortunate, that so many people believe that punishing people who think differently is how to change the world. They focus on the negative.

And if you know about target fixation, you know that the brain will direct you in the area of the focus of your attention. If you're riding your bike and you turn your head to gaze upon an attractive member of the opposite sex, your hands will turn the bike in the same direction you are looking. So if you're focused on the negative, expect negative outcomes. If your looking to change the world, having a positive attitude may yield more positive results.

When I read, I take in new information, try it on, test it out, see if it fits. If it fits, I use it as a guideline to life. If it doesn't fit, I discard it, but I can't unlearn it. I can only change how I think about what I learned.

When I write, I get to decide what I read. I write in the affirmative because I want to change how I think. I have discovered through years of writing, that writing is kind of like programming. We the literate ones, have been trained to use reading and writing as forms of communication, but they are more than that. They are forms of thinking, like thinking out loud.

I write what I think to examine my own thinking. I used to be really negative. But years of writing just for me, has helped me to see my thinking more objectively. All those hours spent writing and reading my writing have allowed me find and to purge much of my negative thinking so that I can live in greater peace than before.

Writing allows me to create a map of my thinking. If you're lost, you need to know where you are to get un-lost. If you're lost and you want to get home, you need to be able to accept where you are, too. Change cannot come without acceptance of where you are. Once you accept where you are, you can then plot a course for where you want to go.

Writing in the affirmative is an expression of hope, and doing so allows me to accept where I am, for it is easier to accept where I am when I have hope. Once I accept where I am, then I can begin to plot my course to where I want to be.

I write in the affirmative, not just for me, but for you, too. I post articles like this to see if you want to come along. Do you want to ride with me on my train of affirmative thought? If so, climb aboard little wog. If not, there are other trains out there for you. I share my articles because talking to myself only changes one person. Sharing my articles allows me an opportunity to change the world, one person at a time.

When I post my articles I let them go to see what will happen next. I don't concern myself with what others will do with my articles. Yes, I want feedback. Yes, I want dialog. But I have no control over how you will respond to my articles and ideas. I only have control over whether or not I post. I only have control over how I write and how I think (though at times, I'm not so sure).

Writing is what I do to bend my mind to my will. It's like taking a blow torch to a rod of steel, heating it up and bending it. I have some really old patterns of thinking that may require a little heat to bend. A positive attitude is the heat that I apply to old ways of thinking. Writing is just one form of heat. Talking with friends, family and others in my support network is another form of heat. Reading is another. Ideas are everywhere. The heat I need to bend my mind, my old ways of thinking, that is everywhere.

I write in the affirmative because I tend to feel better when I do. I tend to have more positive outcomes when I think and write in the affirmative. I write in the affirmative to give me an alternative to all the negativity in the word. I write in the affirmative because I can't think of a better way to write.

Write on.

Slogan by @tecnosgirl

Other articles you might enjoy by @digitalfirehose:


Plan B for Humanity

A basic guaranteed income in the context of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

A sort of political movie review: Star Wars: Rogue One

Happiness isn't getting everything you want - happiness is a skill

The opposite of love is not hate, it is apathy

Fate, impunity and altruism

A short but growing list of people I admire, who have helped me, and/or influenced me, my thinking and/or my posts:

• @taskmaster4450 - The Age of Abundance is here
• @scottsantens - The Age of Universal Basic Income is here
• @gric - A very cool artist with some interesting perspectives
• @gringalicious - great writing, cooking and photography