Toxic Positivity
Toxic positivity starts as something well-intentioned and truth be told, positivity is something extremely important. Yet, just as about anything, only if practiced with integrity and in the right dosage.
Toxic positivity involves dismissing negative emotions, conflict and confrontation following the belief that quality of life means a life without negative emotions. Hence, no matter what happens, we need to maintain a strictly positive mindset.
Not expressing negative emotions actually makes things way worse because it multiplies and prolongs their bad impact. When we subscribe to toxic positivity, we reject, deny, displace or suppress the acknowledgement of stress, depression and trauma in our lives. That prolongs or completely denies the possibility to recover.
Also by regularly not expressing our disagreement or how we think and feel in certain situations, we become unauthentic and lack integrity in our daily interactions. That in itself has serious consequences making it impossible to have a meaningful and joyful life.
In the last years, Social Media has further escalated the problem by enabling the expression only of like, love, care and other positive emotions, as well as the excessive broadcast of positive messages.
Political Correctness
Political Correctness is “a term used to describe language, policies, or measures that are intended to avoid offense or disadvantage to members of particular groups in society.”
Similarly to Toxic Positivity, originally Political Correctness was well-intended. However, it has now become a brilliant way to suppress the freedom to express different opinions and to discredit anything that differs from the dominant narrative.
I feel fortunate for having lived in both Communism and in the so called “Free World”. You might be surprised to hear that lately I feel much more suppressed to express freely my opinion than during my time in communism. Truth be told, I was young then and I am much better today at “smelling bullshit” plus I have a bigger need to speak truth to bullshit.
Nevertheless, I would argue that the “free world” has never been less free and political correctness has become a tool for collective manipulation.
The Problem
Well, if you have come so far, you probably know it already. I am convinced that by not expressing dislikes and disagreement, we are in fact doing a disservice to humanity and to ourselves. We would never co-create the more beautiful world our hearts long for if we do not express what we feel with our heart and what we think (when thinking on our feet), and then align our actions with what we feel and think.
Question: How are you in service to the darkness in the world by not expressing dislike and disagreement with the dominant narrative?