Kicking Negativity

"Luck is what happens when preparation meetsconstant stream of gruel, duping us into believing we
opportunity." --Seneca, Roman philosopher, mid-1sthave no power in the world, no impact, no way to
century ADmove things toward the better.
Whoa! Things seem to be in a state of flux at thisIn my quest to counteract the negativity, I read. The
moment in history, don't they? Just turn on CNN andmost recent book I picked up is called "Train Your
you'll see how topsy turvy things are with doomsdayBrain, Change Your Mind" by Sharon Begley. It's about
and apocalypse on the horizon. It's enough to turn eventhe transformational ability of the mind and combines
the most well adjusted, reasonable person into aneuroscience with Tibetan Buddhism, and mindfulness.
confused, pissed off obsessive ready to jump off aI'm inspired and worked up over this book and I'm only
bridge. I say, keep your rudder in the water and makeon page ten.
life work.Brain science is showing that we have phenomenal
Many of my students are real estate agents andpowers to adapt and heal after head traumas,
we've had the chance to discuss the current marketaccidents, and have the power to reverse negative
at length. Obviously, huge mistakes were made on allprogramming like propaganda or brainwashing. Our
sides. The banks were practically giving it away andintention leads the way. When we set our own frames
people who had no business accepting variable ratesand not allow others to set them for us (like the
(regardless of whether or not they understood whatmedia), then we can make seismic changes in the
that actually meant) overestimated what they couldourselves which can then ripple outward to our family
afford to pay, all lead to the morass that's currentlyand friends and from them out into the world.
underway. Yet now, instead of this being 'their' problemSeems like spirituality and science have had a bit of a
(the banks and borrowers), it's everyone's problem.problem coexisting in some ways. One need only to
I don't have a solution for the mess in the market, but Ilook at the creationism versus evolution debate that is
do understand that should we tune in andstill being argued to see this. Neuroscience and
commiserate with the cable news networks andBuddhism have found a common ground on which to
ruminate on just how miserable and crushing acreate exciting mind/body transformations that can
recession is/will be, we will be miserable.cure diseases without the pharmaceutical companies
Not sure if you could tell, but I'm not a huge fan of thetrying to medicate the diseases out of us, problems like
media. There's not much to it beyond its attempt toOCD, dyslexia, depression and autism. I don't know
entertain at this point, and even the "real news" gets allabout you, but I'd much prefer to think or meditate my
messed up with sleazy gossip (whether that beway to health than take a pill with a litany of side
celebrity, political, or other). Aside from not really givingeffects and high price tag.
us much to go on, it also poisons the well for those ofWho benefits from us fixing ourselves? Maybe not the
us trying to make positive changes in ourselves andbig pharma companies, but the real profit is in us rippling
the world, and for those of us who strive to frame theout positivity and undermining the negative things that
world and our shared reality as a 'win-win'. Collectivelyare being spoon fed to us.
our conscious and unconscious minds are being fed a