Dropping the Pramana of Positive Thinking: Positive Thinking in Contrast to Realism: Neither Optimism nor Pessimism

Granted, many people suffer from depression, chronic cynicism, and pessimism due to the basic disconnect from awareness and experience of their true nature. Because of that, optimism, positive thinking, glorification of the mundane, wishful thinking, and the like may appear seductive. In fact, it is not uncommon for people to believe in fanciful delusions about themselves due to egoic pride. Egoic pride in turn is a compensatory mechanism due to lack of self-esteem, absence of meaning, and ultimately to the disconnect with All Our Relations, which nurtures us to the ultimate degree. Split apart from that living experience in a chronic state of deprivation, where egoic beings ignorantly seek a substitute/replacement in make believe systems and fantasy worlds, which they designate as a protected, but ersatz "reality".

Such delusional (egoic) humans are driven to not desire to know the truth if it contradicts their fantasy, hence dysfunctional alliances are formed by those who share their same protected fantasies, often attacking the messenger/message as an attack on this fabricated egoic self identity. They simply don't like to hear it (the truth), because it makes their egoic preference uncomfortable or perhaps wrong. Rather than change their egoic mindset, they may prefer to withdraw further or become defensive/aggressive. Any thing that the ego perceives as mentally painful (which it dislikes) becomes the preference of aversion (dvesa), while the ego craves for (raga) reinforcement and praise, which it designates as self gratifying pleasure. Those events which direct the ego's filtering of reality to fear, avoid, and ignore what is unpleasant by filtering it out, while propping itself up with self gratifying praise constitutes the egoic glue of asmita, raga, dvesa, which is the province of confusion (avidya) according to yoga.

Although it may be laudable to adhere to ethical values and individual likes and dislikes (preferences), a severe distortion occurs when preference dominates and acts as a filter in preventing/discoloring mental clarity. As an example, as a new soldier in the jungle, one may prefer to see a beautiful tree, but if one allows that preference to dominate, then one may get shot and killed by a camouflaged enemy pretending to be a bush (no pun intended). So, to be functional and practical (or rather realistic), my preference is truth, realism, neither paranoia nor optimism.

There are many other examples how egoic preferences that support the ego's world view will distort and severely limit our overall world view. Adherence to ethical belief systems that are externally derived (such from books or religious institutions) or conceptualized by the intellect will fall short from the direct experience of reality, a direct unfiltered communion with one's own true nature; e.g., realism. Therefore, one of the first practical realizations is that we are not just an individual ego, apart from the rest of humanity, other animals, our common interdependent supporting habitat, ecosystems, the cosmos, and evolutionary process. Rather the former (egoic sense of self) is a very limited delusion, while the larger reality is a powerful supportive source always available for consultation, guidance, and inspiration directly. That experiential realization cannot be intellectually derived.   

The delusional process is most often unconscious, denied, and chronically ignored. This becomes peer reinforced in a society where the mass delusion serves its fears and craving. It becomes willful ignorance or conscious denial/delusion only after one becomes aware that they are lying to oneself. In that step toward conscious evolution, one has the courage to face their egoic mind. Then one starts to take responsibility for one's mental state, but too often is seduced into playing the delusional game consciously. In short, such people pretend that they do not acknowledge the truth of truth or falsehood, reality or illusion, or any shared common reality with anyone else, as they have conflated freedom with autonomy. It appears to be free and easy as long as their poppycock appears to be functional, but really, the egoic mindset is fooling itself and such a game is still dictated by fear, craving, and confusion (avidya).

All that is needed is balanced thinking (realism), neither pessimistic nor optimistic, rather realism. Most everyone would agree that depression is not the answer, while optimism is a poor substitute for true inspiration or realism, be it socially expected or otherwise artificially induced. Positive thinking is advocated within various social, political, institutional, religious, and business systems as a method of social control. In those world systems, if you think that society "should" change, you are designated as being ill, maladjusted, or negative. Something is "wrong" with you. As a control such self-protective belief systems impute that, "If you do not agree with our agenda, then you are a pessimist, depressed, a whiner, trouble maker, wrong, bad, or negative. The system is right and you are wrong." The mantra there is, "adapt/conform to the system and be happy, but do not attempt to change or control 'our' system; i.e., we are in control". This is an agency where innovation, creativity, change, and dissent become controlled or repressed.

That is the general methodology where willful imposition of a preferred mode of ignorance or conscious delusion that is designed to support an ulterior agenda, is imposed upon an unaware public. The message being propagated is that there is something bad/wrong or inferior with anyone who claims that the system is imperfect and requires improvement, that any suffering or injustice exists within the system, or that suffering/injustice has an external/outside cause, by telling people that they have caused their own situation or have a bad/faulty attitude. One is given a choice, either conform/adapt unquestionably to the controlling system, or suffer. It is a no-brainer for most.

That ideological stance, which totes illusion making, PR, lies, and pretentious activity is most definitely aimed at social control of institutions, social systems, and large populations. "Shut up and get with the program" is another slogan. That way, dissent is thus dismissed as crazy, aberrant, or sick thinking; hence, it serves the need for a presiding power structure to marginalize dissent. For the totalitarian system, the enemy is critical thinking. It must be discouraged or stamped out. The most practical way to do so, is to have victims advocate and perpetuate organized confusion upon themselves, children, and others.

On the other hand, any one who has experienced the power of critical thinking for themselves (outside the box), knows that critical thought is the first step toward health disillusionment, which in turn creates the ground and open space for creative, expedient, practical, realistic, and functional activity. This is a necessary preliminary in order to think outside the box, devoid of mere conceptual and fabricated thoughts -- where true inspiration, creativity, non-dual love, and fulfillment are expressed and experienced.