Can someone be a positive person and still be mean and ornery? If a person is snippy, cold and judgemental, can they still legitimately be considered a true positive thinker? The answer may surprise you.
Having a positive mindset and outlook doesn’t mean that everything is perfect and in truth, the most ardent of positive thinkers can and do indeed lose their tempers on occasion. However, if someone considers themselves to be positive and grounded, then in reality, they cannot be mean or cruel. While no one is perfect and we all have moments of anger or negativity, being a cold or mean person is something associated with negative people and not positive ones.
Bullying and Positivity
The term bully is often not applied correctly. For example, an adult can be a bully and we sometimes see that in an instance in which a friend coerces or mocks us into agreeing to do something we just don’t have time for. I have a friend who considers herself to be a positive person, yet she routinely criticizes others, bullies them and can say things that are downright mean — we let her think of herself as “positive,” but in reality, if she were, she would be above such meanness.
I was recently sent this very powerful social media post on bullying and it needs to be shared…and shared often:
That girl you called a slut in class today.
She’s a virgin.
The “gay boy” you punched in the hall today,
Committed suicide a few minutes ago.
The boy you called lame.
He has to work every night to support his family.
That girl you pushed down the other day.
She’s already being abused at home.
That girl you called fat. …
She’s starving herself.
The old man you made fun of cause of the ugly scars.
He fought for our country.
The boy you made fun of for crying.
His mother is dying.
You think you know them.
Guess what? You don’t!
Talk about a powerful reminder of why we must all try to be kind and compassionate. As to the question of whether someone can truly be a positive person if they’re “mean” by nature, they may say they’re a “good and positive” person, but, just because they claim to be, doesn’t make it so. Being positive means always trying to be a good person — always striving to be fair, generous and understanding. To achieve true positivity, we must think about the feelings and experiences of others and that means we have to be conscious about how we treat people, animals and nature.
“More smiling, less worrying. More compassion, less judgment. More blessed, less stressed. More love, less hate. ― Roy T. Bennett
