Wednesday, March 30, 2005

The power of negative thinking

I've always found "the power of positive thinking" all too easy to dismiss. Paradoxically, I've also always easily accepted "the power of negative thinking:" I believe defeatism hastens defeat, and so those locker room rallies can really matter. But I also believe in an unconscious, and though I don't have a clear idea what it is, I think defeatism is a mental state that's simple enough for less than half a brain to muster. C'est voila: Paradox and new-agey marketing problem resolved. I'm now forced to admit that with respect to any goal I pursue I might just be handicapping myself unconsciously, and so optimism is just prudent practice. I think we ought to talk about this as the power of negative thinking is all.

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