i'm reading two non-fiction books at the moment. Bright-Sided investigates the wave of positive thinking that's blanketed the nation. in it Barbara Ehrenreich tries to disprove the "science" that surrounds phenomena like The Secret.
i have to admit, i've been sending out lots of positive thoughts lately. it seems everyone i know tells me that i can bring about positive change in my life with visualization and a great attitude. part of me believes this. the other part -- the part which belongs to the woman who giggled through Natalie Portman's breakdown at the end of Black Swan -- couldn't wait to get my hands on Ehrenreich's book.
it's a refreshing, interesting read. it tries to erase the concern that the reason i haven't: gotten a new job, apartment etc isn't because i haven't been putting out enough good thoughts, it's just because, well, i haven't. she's not advocating a pessimistic outlook, just a realistic one.
even better Bright-Sided erases the worry that i might attract negative things to my world with the cranky, envious emotions i'm experiencing by reading early thirties, successful blogger/writer, socially responsible, hip, brooklyn resider Cathy Erway's The Art of Eating In.
book on young woman cooking her way to success combined with book on feeling alright about feeling frustrated and negative? now that's inspired reading.
OoOo, I want to read "Bright-Sided" - sounds good!
ReplyDeleteBright-Sided sounds really interesting. I'm ambivalent about The Secret. I read the book, and afterwards I was like "well, no shit?!" It's just a bunch of common sense that someone stuck into a book & made millions on - why didn't I think of that?! I do believe that positive thinking is helpful in life, and that you will be a much happier person in general. Being pessimistic rarely does much good. But sometimes bad shit happens & that's OK too - it doesn't necessarily mean you brought it upon yourself. You just have to deal with it & move on.
ReplyDeletei watched part of the secret videos and everytime they said: scientists say, i said, what scientists. and yet, it's brought a lot of good to a lot of people i know, so i won't knock it. it's interesting after you read a little about it though to hear how many times in a day people mention something about being positive. try it. i feel like i hear something about it a few times a day.
ReplyDeleteyou giggled in Black Swan?!!?? Are you made of pure evil?
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