bad stuff is easier to believe

I heard this quote recently. I can't remember if it was from a book or a movie or what, but it struck me as an awkwardly true statement. What is it about "bad stuff" that people are always so willing to accept? Likewise, why is it so hard to believe the good stuff?

When we hear good news, there is always an attentive ear for the "but"...

I've noticed that people tend to look for the dark cloud instead of the silver lining. And even when the silver lining is shining bright, they wonder if its a problem with their eyes or some reflective material causing the glare.

Some say that our society has bred us to be self-effacing buck-passers that would do anything to avoid scrutiny or admitting a mistake. Not enough people stand up for what is right or lead by example. We expect people to fail or to be "exposed". There is an entire industry of celebrity gossip websites and magazines dedicated to "catching" people doing something wrong.

Then, there are the naysayers; the voices of others that say ‘this won’t work’ or ‘that will never happen’, the images of future events not turning out the way you would like them to, or possibly not happening at all. This is common for those seeking acceptance from their peers for new business ventures.

Worse yet are the folks that think negatively as a defense mechanism so they aren't surprised when bad stuff happens. Or some people simply have such low self image that it's impossible for them to believe good things can happen to them. Even worse than these two groups of people are the ones that are purely too lazy to think of anything positive.

OK, so now I think I have a good idea why some people find it easy to believe the bad stuff... do all of these reasons automatically justify why they can't believe in good things, too?

I believe that there is a cause and effect for everything. If you act with genuine sincerity, people will treat you the same... if you are positive and put out a healthy vibe, people will feel it and react in kind. I'm not so naive to think that this works all the time so I don't get frustrated when bad things happen. The negatively driven mindset is a slippery slope and it's easy to lose your footing.

Be strong. Be positive. Live for the silver lining. Good things will come.

Endless possibilities

During a recent re-run episode of The Office, the Dunder Mifflin paper crew attended a high school job fair where Michael (Steve Carell) has Pam (Jenna Fischer) bring a single piece of paper as their booth attraction; no fancy brochures, lighted booths or attention-grabbing signs.... just a single sheet of paper. Michael's justification for the single sheet of blank paper is that it represents "endless possibilities".

This quote has been ringing around in my head for a couple weeks now. It was funny at the time I saw it on the show, but now it continues to ring true to me. I mean, seriously, a single sheet of blank paper could be a paper airplane, or a menu, a report, a tax return, a doodling space for a child, a love note, a piece of evidence, a suicide letter, a diary, a page from a book, a formula or truly an endless list of possibilities.

Then I started thinking about other types of "endless possibilities". The first couple things that come to mind are oceans and fractals. Fractals appear similar at all levels of magnification and are often considered to be infinitely complex. Oceans are visually endless.

I don't want to go too deep or anything, but some may even say that life is an endless possibility - a series of choices that could lead to endless possibilities...