Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Negativity: An Asset in Times of Trouble?

I watched a beautiful movie last night called Melancholia and directed by Lars Von Trier. The movie tells the story of two sisters (Kirsten Dunst and Charlotte Gainsbourg), one of whom struggles with severe depression (Dunst), as they come to the realization that the earth is expected to collide with a blue planet called Melancholia. Both sisters take a radically different perspective toward the news of their imminent death, with Dunst appearing calm and accepting of the fact, while Gainsbourg remains agitated and distraught up until the very end. I found it to be a hauntingly beautiful story about depression and its effect on the human psyche during a disaster. It seemed that Dunst's character was able to passively accept her impending death because she had already come to terms with the idea that "bad things happen". In one sense, her negativity and defeatist outlook on the world ended up being a strength that enabled her to accept her fate and make the best of her last few hours on earth.


Trailer for Melancholia: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzD0U841LRM

So, the movie left me thinking: What evolutionary advantage is there to having a negative outlook on life? Is our ability to experience pessimism actually a tool/asset conferred upon us to help us get through times of tragedy? Is it best to view our whole existence through a negative lens since we are then better able to cope with the many hardships and disappointments we will undoubtedly face in our lifetimes?

I am sure the answers to these questions depend greatly on our particular perspective at any given time since, after all, we are all subjected to the highs and lows that life throws our way. Our outlook on life is, more often than not, easily influenced by the specific details of our day, week, month.

For now, I continue to choose positivity and happiness. And I hope you do, too.

In the words of Swami Vivekananda (an Indian spiritual leader):

"If you think about disaster, you will get it. Brood about death and you hasten your demise. Think positively and masterfully, with confidence and faith, and life becomes more secure, more fraught with action, richer in achievement and experience."




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3 comments:

  1. Yoga au Chat Pito TahitiApril 4, 2012 at 1:23 AM

    1- Don't forget that it was a movie. It doesn't necessary reflect the truth about human behaviour in such circumstances. What do statistics say ?

    2- I am sure that spirituality helps accepting the idea of imminent death. I you are not scared, if you live with the knowledge that your death is part of your life, you don't need to have a negative mind to remain calm and accept your fate.

    3- Have you read anything about the law of attraction ? like "the secret", or "the magic" ?
    Other people than Swami Vivekananda have said similar words for centuries. Positive mind attracts positive things in your life. Negative mind is less powerful, but if you feel bad, the lack of happiness and gratitude brings bad things in your life. Even if Andre sometimes thinks that I am a little out of my mind, I can swear that what I said always works.

    Enjoy your life !

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  2. Manon BanuelosApril 5, 2012 at 10:48 PM

    Hi Carole,

    Thanks for your comments. I agree with everything you said!

    I'm totally aware that it was just a movie and that it may not be accurate in its portrayal of depression and the human psyche (though I do remember reading a study or two in my Psychology classes that reinforced the idea that negativity can be an asset in times of extreme hardship because you already expect bad things to happen). I used the movie simply as a method of sparking discussion on this interesting idea.

    I definitely agree with what you said about spirituality. But what about people who are generally positive but not spiritual at all? Perhaps they really do have a harder time coping with tough times than people who are more negative about life. I don't know.

    Lastly, I have heard about the law of attraction, but I admit that I have a lot of to learn still and I will certainly check out the books you suggested.

    Thanks for your insights!

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  3. Manon BanuelosApril 5, 2012 at 11:07 PM

    Also, in case you were curious, here's a short post from Wikipedia about why the director (Lars Von Trier) wanted to make this film:

    "The idea for the film originated during a therapy session Lars von Trier attended during treatments for his depression. A therapist had told Trier that depressive people tend to act more calmly than others under heavy pressure, because they already expect bad things to happen. Trier then developed the story not primarily as a disaster film, and without any ambition to portray astrophysics realistically, but as a way to examine the human psyche during a disaster."

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melancholia_%282011_film%29

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