I get them and I start taking them. On the first day, I just had so much clarity I was able to figure out why I was depressed
you know... they take up to several weeks to start workingNot if it's... ecstasy.
overwhelmingly positive thinkers are idiotic and tragically ill-equipped for the harsh realities of the world. particularly positive thinkers that honestly believe that they somehow possess the ability to bend time-space with their positive thinking. really, it's one thing looking on the bright side of life, but another thing entirely honestly believing that their utterly insignificant monkey-will has any legitimate influence on the world around them, beyond how utterly bonkers they appear to the more sensible people in their immediate surroundings.
keep your fucking forty dollars you scumbag. i don't need to pretend to make myself feel better and overcome difficult obstacles in my life.
Maybe think of it as the power of thinking positively instead of being so cynical...
One day I checked my bank account and I had 78 cents in it. I kept thinking that I'm gonna have money in my bank account, I know it. It didn't come immediately, I had actually checked it for a little while everyday to hear the same recording telling me I was broke. One day I checked it I had 40 bucks in it!
What's going on here? Someone turns their life around and they're getting flamed for trying a new method of thinking?No, their beliefs are being criticized, as all beliefs should be.
overwhelmingly positive thinkers are idiotic and tragically ill-equipped for the harsh realities of the world. particularly positive thinkers that honestly believe that they somehow possess the ability to bend time-space with their positive thinking. really, it's one thing looking on the bright side of life, but another thing entirely honestly believing that their utterly insignificant monkey-will has any legitimate influence on the world around them, beyond how utterly bonkers they appear to the more sensible people in their immediate surroundings.*smokes cigarette*
keep your fucking forty dollars you scumbag. i don't need to pretend to make myself feel better and overcome difficult obstacles in my life.
overwhelmingly positive thinkers are idiotic and tragically ill-equipped for the harsh realities of the world.This is true. It's actually ironic to see how optimists believe that if there weren't any pessimists, the world would be a lot better off. How wrong they are. Rather, it's the pessimist that's able to correctly prepare himself for any kind of obstacle that he might encounter, thus increasing his chances of success. They think carefully about the things that could go wrong, because they know that there's a realistic chance of them occurring, and as a result, become more able to overcome those things. Optimists refuse to do that, and when the inevitable happens, they won't know how to proceed.
Maybe think of it as the power of thinking positively instead of being so cynical...how about ABSOLUTELY NOT
One day I checked my bank account and I had 78 cents in it. I kept thinking that I'm gonna have money in my bank account, I know it. It didn't come immediately, I had actually checked it for a little while everyday to hear the same recording telling me I was broke. One day I checked it I had 40 bucks in it!And the camera turns back to Oprah. She turns to the audience, who immediately begin to cheer and applaud, solidifying the link between the story and their acclamation. "Can anyone who just listened to this story tell me there isn't a god?" she asks the crowd.
Well yeah, there's a plaque my aunt has in her room where she does her writing it says:Exactly, but the movie doesn't really put it that way.
"Thought without action is merely a dream"
So, of course you have to put action to it. But atleast thinking in the right direction gets you moving in the right direction.
It's funny how more than half of you completely missed the concept here. It's not magical thinking or some bullshit like that. I personally believe that it's all about the power of your mind and will; however "monkey-will" or whatever it is, your mind and ones perception of reality is more important to success or failure than anything else in the world to a single person.
No, their beliefs are being criticized, as all beliefs should be.
I don't know if this statement is EXTREME IRONY or being BLATANTLY HYPOCRITICAL. Please circle the correct bold response.C) Neither. Beliefs should always be criticized. I fail to see how either is the case; such a position is only rational.
EDIT: also, I'd like to stress here that success is the culmination of effort (and luck). It has nothing to do with whether you think you're going to be successful. It's only going to work if you actually roll up your sleeves and get to it. I wouldn't have a good job today if I didn't exert the effort to go out and find one two years ago. I also wouldn't have kept that job for very long if I hadn't immediately started brushing up my skills, because I was actually not very qualified for the job when I started it. (Though I'm still very lazy, by the way.)blah blah blah this whole thing, or at least this topic's (and movie's?) take on it, is dumb and totally unreasonable and really is not an especially applicable philosophy. but uh, i'd very much disagree with you saying that, even though effort/luck are the major factors involved in deciding what does and does not happen in your life, what you think about what's going to happen doesn't affect anything. your thoughts dictate your attitude, and very few people can honestly say that their attitude never influences their actions. there's a big difference, i think, between looking at something positively and looking at the same thing negatively; the difference is how you perceive it, and a person's perception of a situation, or another person, or whatever, can have a fairly extraordinary effect. most of this is bogus, and that goes without saying, but i think it should also go without saying that how someone looks at something, and whether they think of it in a positive or in a negative way, absolutely has some influence on events. that's not to say that a positive perspective will necessarily lead to a more favorable chain of events or anything, but still, it's a definite possibility, and even a likelihood that it will lead to SOMETHING different, good or bad.
C) Neither. Beliefs should always be criticized. I fail to see how either is the case; such a position is only rational.Thanks for saving me some typing (except this post?).
C) Neither. Beliefs should always be criticized. I fail to see how either is the case; such a position is only rational.
I know that everyone is different and what works for some may not work for others, but I just encourage you to try this out
Belief and faith go hand in hand but they aren't exclusively religious. I have faith that I will die only of natural causes; I'm not 100% correct, but I have faith that it will come true. I believe that all men are inherently evil. That has nothing to do with religion; just personal choices.
Your choice to follow whatever method of thinking is your belief. You obviously have faith in your own belief, otherwise you wouldn't care to believe in it in the first place. Thinking "rationally" is only based on the information you know and unless you experience the "truth" firsthand, you can't claim everything you read in a science text 100% correct otherwise you're putting FAITH in someone else's work.
An Atheist who criticizes a Christian is just as wrong as a Christian who criticizes an Atheist. All men have free will to believe whatever they wish to and no one can question that; anyone who says otherwise is a fucking hypocrite. You may disagree with them, but that's fine. That's natural. But telling them they are wrong for not believing what you believe, regardless of what it is, makes you a piece of trash.
Rationality is only based on your own logic and no one thinks the same thus everyone believes something different.
There, I just criticized your beliefs.
Belief and faith go hand in hand but they aren't exclusively religious. I have faith that I will die only of natural causes; I'm not 100% correct, but I have faith that it will come true. I believe that all men are inherently evil. That has nothing to do with religion; just personal choices.I never stated they were exclusively religious. I simply stated that beliefs are not inherently valuable, and they should always be criticized. For some reason you sound as if "Criticism" is a bad thing. Although stating an "Atheist" who criticizes a Christian is just as wrong as vice versa is sort of silly, since one(Atheists) are not presuming anything, while the other is making a baseless statement. Atheists lack belief in the supernatural; this is based on the lack of reason or evidence towards a presumed "belief." Criticism of beliefs, including your own, refines them; I can question anybody I want, including myself. This does not make me a hypocrite; this makes me smart. Your assumption that beliefs are inherently valuable without any criticism, reasoning, and thought is pathetic at best. If people don't like having their beliefs criticized, then they should put more time into rationaling their beliefs to themselves first; theres a lot of refining that can be done.
Your choice to follow whatever method of thinking is your belief. You obviously have faith in your own belief, otherwise you wouldn't care to believe in it in the first place. Thinking "rationally" is only based on the information you know and unless you experience the "truth" firsthand, you can't claim everything you read in a science text 100% correct otherwise you're putting FAITH in someone else's work.
An Atheist who criticizes a Christian is just as wrong as a Christian who criticizes an Atheist. All men have free will to believe whatever they wish to and no one can question that; anyone who says otherwise is a fucking hypocrite. You may disagree with them, but that's fine. That's natural. But telling them they are wrong for not believing what you believe, regardless of what it is, makes you a piece of trash.
Rationality is only based on your own logic and no one thinks the same thus everyone believes something different.
There, I just criticized your beliefs.
Though im not sure if what Angry Black Man said was actually part of the debate or was just some sort of attack on the very idea of questioning beliefs?People fight and die in order to protect what they believe in. It's a personal discovery and there's no way you can criticize it because it's not something you've experienced personally. It's like saying "Everyone who smokes pot is bad" or "Minorities exaggerate racism"; if you've never dealt with pot or if you've never experienced racism, there's no way you can intelligently tell someone "you are flawed" based on what you've never experienced.
I don't understand angry black man, are you simply against the fact we are discussing this? I mean what else is there to talk about? He tells a story about how a new view of life has changed him and made him a better man, and people tell their thoughts about this philosophy of his. I don't think its inappropriate or anything...
The posts seem to almost unanimously disagree with the new view of life so far, so it does make it seem like hes being CORNERED AND ATTACKED, but most posts don't really seem like flames, either. I think you're overreacting.
y'know, I'm an atheist, but everytime I eat a PEACH, it is one of those things that makes me believe there is a God
Also, that bank story....lmao, unless your bank gives you a 50% interest growth rate, or someone else has access into your account or the bank messed up a transaction (and neither can be linked to positive thoughts.) I say bull.
Negative thinking makes me a more interesting person. People enjoy my company because of my dry, fatalistic humor and my occasionally cutting wit. I am prepared by my negative thoughts for the occurrence of misfortune. Negative thinking allows me to lend a critical eye to art and literature when I am in class. Negative thinking is the basis of rhetoric and the scientific method. Thinking negatively allows me to ready myself for interpersonal and emotional pain.
You, good sir, can keep your positive thinking. I want none of it.
I think the point in "thinking positively" is that you focus your mind on obtaining what you desire THUS you strive for what you desire. Believing you can bend matter via pure emotion is just retarded, but thinking positively doesn't mean you are ill prepared for CRUSHING DEFEAT but it could possibly mean taking advantage of beneficial situations more so than a normal person.
Your mind is extremely powerful. If you go through life cynical and refusing to "trust" on your mind's potential...being cynical has nothing to do with not "trusting" your minds potential. Theres a realistic point where "approaching or trying" for a goal stops being viable. Just as easily, I can say you waste more effort and time trying to achieve bluntly unrealistic goals(at a certain point), then what you do accomplish.
Hahah have fun being depressed. I like being happy.If happiness means being deluded then I'd pick un-happiness. I don't get the huge hard-on over being happy all the time either.
...being cynical has nothing to do with not "trusting" your minds potential. Theres a realistic point where "approaching or trying" for a goal stops being viable. Just as easily, I can say you waste more effort and time trying to achieve bluntly unrealistic goals(at a certain point), then what you do accomplish.
If thinking "positive" is just focusing on obtaining a goal, then I think theres nothing particularly special with "positive thinking," because that's simply being realistic. A lot of "positive thinkers" are unrealistic, fruity people who think life is sun shine and bubble gum. I would say there is a considerable difference between focusing on a goal you want to reach and trying to reach it, and thinking that outcome will happen regardless of reality.
If happiness means being deluded then I'd pick un-happiness. I don't get the huge hard-on over being happy all the time either.
...being cynical has nothing to do with not "trusting" your minds potential. Theres a realistic point where "approaching or trying" for a goal stops being viable. Just as easily, I can say you waste more effort and time trying to achieve bluntly unrealistic goals(at a certain point), then what you do accomplish.
If thinking "positive" is just focusing on obtaining a goal, then I think theres nothing particularly special with "positive thinking," because that's simply being realistic. A lot of "positive thinkers" are unrealistic, fruity people who think life is sun shine and bubble gum. I would say there is a considerable difference between focusing on a goal you want to reach and trying to reach it, and thinking that outcome will happen regardless of reality.
If happiness means being deluded then I'd pick un-happiness. I don't get the huge hard-on over being happy all the time either.
Nice arguement. I mean those optimistc people truely are fruity people who are "bubble gum" and "sunshine" similar to the pessimistic people who spend all day slitting their wrists and howling at the black moon.Good thing I'm not advocating either attitude, right?
I'm not saying it's the best way. But changing the way you think can bring drastic changes in your life. If you don't believe in the power of your mind, then you are cutting yourself short. All the time your mind blanks out things it deems "unimportant". What if one day you focused your mind to focus on all these details. Think of driving down a highway. you don't read and analyze every sign. At some point though if you decide your hungry, every sign that has anything food related will pop up.If I'm looking at signs, I notice signs that tell me about food, regardless of whether I'm hungry or not; such is viewing reality as it is.
but uh, i'd very much disagree with you saying that, even though effort/luck are the major factors involved in deciding what does and does not happen in your life, what you think about what's going to happen doesn't affect anything. your thoughts dictate your attitude, and very few people can honestly say that their attitude never influences their actions. there's a big difference, i think, between looking at something positively and looking at the same thing negatively; the difference is how you perceive it, and a person's perception of a situation, or another person, or whatever, can have a fairly extraordinary effect.Oh, absolutely, but you're talking about it from a different perspective than I was. It's always a good thing to be passionate about whatever it is you do, but in order to accomplish anything, you must plan things out in a realistic manner. When I'm comparing pessimism with optimism, to me, it's like comparing realists with idealists (impractical people). Being inclined towards realistic thinking doesn't necessarily mean that one won't be very ambitious.
that's not to say that a positive perspective will necessarily lead to a more favorable chain of events or anything, but still, it's a definite possibility, and even a likelihood that it will lead to SOMETHING different, good or bad.Well, yeah, because inevitably both a positive and a negative perspective will lead to some kind of tangible plan with a certain chance of success. I think it depends more on the creativity of said person.