Ahem.
Why does it seem like every time someone posts a positive affirmation on Facebook, 85,000 people feel the need to defend the inverse or opposite position, as if the positive affirmation necessarily acts as a denial of it? Allow me to give you an example:
Positive affirmation:
"I like coffee with milk in it."
Comment section:
"Why don't you like coffee with sugar in it?"
"Why don't you like tea?"
"I like coffee and tea and, therefore, I am a much more complete human being than you!"
And, of course, let's not forget about this gem:
"I'm only here for the comments." (extra points for a Michael Jackson meme inserted)
Now, I don't like coffee, but that's not the point. The point is that the positive affirmation does not necessarily imply any of the ideas rejected by the comments. Perhaps the person posting about their coffee also likes tea. Perhaps he (or she--let's not be sexist here) drinks his (see previous parentheses) coffee in many different ways, but for some reason had a special urge to inform people on this particular day that he enjoys it with milk in it. Maybe he is recovering from lactose intolerance and wants to share his victory with the world. Who cares? The point is, making the positive statement about what he likes doesn't necessarily imply that he dislikes the opposite. Now, sometimes that may be the intention of the declaration, but that is not necessarily the case.
Allow me to share a more realistic example.
Positive affirmation:
"Never confuse a love for theology with a love for God."
Comment section:
"Theology is important!"
"Read more books!"
"Burn the heretic!"
"I read books and love God! I'm extra holy!"
The affirmation is something I actually posted a couple of days, while the comments are caricatures of the responses I received. For some odd reason people assumed that I was saying 10 other things besides the thing that I actually said. For some reason people are unable a) to judge people based on what they are actually saying; or b) to scroll past a statement that might be incomplete without challenging it. I'm as guilty of this as the next man. You read a post that says something that you find slightly incorrect, so you drop the hammer. "Well, that's true," you think, "but don't forget about [fill in the blank]!" What ends up happening is that people who are in relative (or sometimes even total) agreement end up arguing on the Internet for no reason.
There are probably a hundred reasons why we do this, but I think I've identified two of them. The first is that we all want our opinion to be heard, whether or not we have any right to share it. We have this uncontrollable urge to tell people what we think even when we don't know them and/or are totally ignorant. There have always been people like that. They always tell you how to wear your hair, how to dress your kids, what to eat, etc. The Internet, however, has brought out this recessive gene in people who would never volunteer their opinions in real life.
The second reason, I believe, is that we feel guilty for something we have or have not done, and the post is convicting us. We have a tendency to jump down people's throats when they say things that make us feel guilty for the way we are living our lives. It's called a guilty conscience. We constantly defensive, ready to make sure people know we're not doing something wrong.
A third reason might be misplaced-but-well-intentioned zeal, but this probably isn't as common as we'd like to think.
Whatever the reason might be, we should stop. Basically what I'm trying to say is that the positive affirmations that I make do not imply that I disagree with the opposite or inverse ideas. You may scroll past my post casually without commenting because, rest assured, I'm probably not denying any basic tenet of Christianity. You're allowed to disregard my status. Honest. If you want to comment, go ahead. I welcome the discussion. Just be aware that I was probably just trying to emphasize a certain point and we probably already agree with each other.
Thanks.
That is all.
Why does it seem like every time someone posts a positive affirmation on Facebook, 85,000 people feel the need to defend the inverse or opposite position, as if the positive affirmation necessarily acts as a denial of it? Allow me to give you an example:
Positive affirmation:
"I like coffee with milk in it."
Comment section:
"Why don't you like coffee with sugar in it?"
"Why don't you like tea?"
"I like coffee and tea and, therefore, I am a much more complete human being than you!"
And, of course, let's not forget about this gem:
"I'm only here for the comments." (extra points for a Michael Jackson meme inserted)
Now, I don't like coffee, but that's not the point. The point is that the positive affirmation does not necessarily imply any of the ideas rejected by the comments. Perhaps the person posting about their coffee also likes tea. Perhaps he (or she--let's not be sexist here) drinks his (see previous parentheses) coffee in many different ways, but for some reason had a special urge to inform people on this particular day that he enjoys it with milk in it. Maybe he is recovering from lactose intolerance and wants to share his victory with the world. Who cares? The point is, making the positive statement about what he likes doesn't necessarily imply that he dislikes the opposite. Now, sometimes that may be the intention of the declaration, but that is not necessarily the case.
Allow me to share a more realistic example.
Positive affirmation:
"Never confuse a love for theology with a love for God."
Comment section:
"Theology is important!"
"Read more books!"
"Burn the heretic!"
"I read books and love God! I'm extra holy!"
The affirmation is something I actually posted a couple of days, while the comments are caricatures of the responses I received. For some odd reason people assumed that I was saying 10 other things besides the thing that I actually said. For some reason people are unable a) to judge people based on what they are actually saying; or b) to scroll past a statement that might be incomplete without challenging it. I'm as guilty of this as the next man. You read a post that says something that you find slightly incorrect, so you drop the hammer. "Well, that's true," you think, "but don't forget about [fill in the blank]!" What ends up happening is that people who are in relative (or sometimes even total) agreement end up arguing on the Internet for no reason.
There are probably a hundred reasons why we do this, but I think I've identified two of them. The first is that we all want our opinion to be heard, whether or not we have any right to share it. We have this uncontrollable urge to tell people what we think even when we don't know them and/or are totally ignorant. There have always been people like that. They always tell you how to wear your hair, how to dress your kids, what to eat, etc. The Internet, however, has brought out this recessive gene in people who would never volunteer their opinions in real life.
The second reason, I believe, is that we feel guilty for something we have or have not done, and the post is convicting us. We have a tendency to jump down people's throats when they say things that make us feel guilty for the way we are living our lives. It's called a guilty conscience. We constantly defensive, ready to make sure people know we're not doing something wrong.
A third reason might be misplaced-but-well-intentioned zeal, but this probably isn't as common as we'd like to think.
Whatever the reason might be, we should stop. Basically what I'm trying to say is that the positive affirmations that I make do not imply that I disagree with the opposite or inverse ideas. You may scroll past my post casually without commenting because, rest assured, I'm probably not denying any basic tenet of Christianity. You're allowed to disregard my status. Honest. If you want to comment, go ahead. I welcome the discussion. Just be aware that I was probably just trying to emphasize a certain point and we probably already agree with each other.
Thanks.
That is all.
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