Monday, August 27, 2007

A new thought: Is positive thinking part of white privilege? I don't know about you- but if I just ignored the news, the news would come to me. I posted earlier about the children in poverty, and even without the news, I would have known all about that just by talking to people. I don't even live in the epicenter. But my mom comes home with stories about how school on Saturday was pandemonium- children who had already graduated, the cousins, brothers, sisters, friends of students swelled the class. The crowds slowed down the health and fitness testing. I go to my cousin's baby shower. There are all the things prohibited by the internet CPS- bottles, diapers, walkers. We laugh and have fun, but violent events in the past leave their pall.

How can you just think if you think good thoughts everything will be alright? Yes, positive psychologists have a more nuanced argument, but that is not what is repeated. How can we let our country burn while not reaching out to others? I think that the real positive thinking is not so much think happy thoughts and get cash, but it is to try to treat other people with respect, try to respect the people who came before you, and try to walk the road of life with others.

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