A Positive Vibe Warrior Discusses Negativity

You can’t be all positive, all the time. Not in the real world.

The digital world? That’s a different story. You can be anyone you want to be out there. A pro surfer, a model, an influencer, a beacon of westernised Buddhist theory via averagely illustrated quotes for all of your 1298 followers to bow down to with two swift taps of a like. All you have to do is dwell in your Ikea bed, find a quote from some dead philosopher, somewhere, that might just convince the rest of humanity (or 1278 people….maybe 1281 by now) that you are extracting more out of life than they are. It’s “positivity” at the push of a button. That’s a damn precedent to set.

Nobody’s life is all positive, all the time. Not even Dane Gudauskas’ and he’s the most positive man I’ve ever met. Which is exactly why I talked to him about negativity. 

Stab: How do you feel about negativity?
Dane: I think people probably perceive my brothers and I as naive, like we neglect the fact that negativity exists, but we’re well aware of it. As the world turns, there’s both night and day in the same 24 hours.

What do you get negative about?
Feeling static. Not progressing in my mind. If I start feeling stagnant, I start feeling negative. I like being exposed to new things and new creative energies. If I’m stuck in one place or one mindset, I start to feel claustrophobic.

Is there anything more specific? More external?
Hmm. That’s a hard one. I guess being around people that always focus on the bad things. There’s so much going on in the world — especially with politics and everything — and I feel like people who focus solely on the bad stuff can suck you right into their vortex.

Do you feel like negativity is in any way important?
The reality is that you’re going to disagree with certain things. That’s just being honest with yourself. Like I said, there’s night and there’s day, and you have to be aware of both. If something isn’t jiving with you, you can’t put a fake smile on and pretend that it’s all good. You gotta be real with yourself. That’s where negativity is important.

Would you consider this a release of aggression or just a hyper-positive flow?

Photography

Laserwolf

But I do think there’s a difference between negativity and disagreement. Some people might think that a movie is bitchin’. Other people might think it sucks. That’s not negativity, that’s just opinion.

You think a negative opinion isn’t necessarily negative?
An opinion is a thought created in your mind, so you own that thought. It’s a reflection of what’s inside you. I think you can have a negative opinion and be positive about it.

So, do you think anything is inherently negative?
It all goes back to that night and day thing. There’s an equal magnetism to both positivity and negativity. You can easily get pulled in either direction. You can even feel them both in one thought. There’s nothing wrong with getting pulled either way. If you feel gravitated towards negativity and expressing it makes you feel good, then power to you. That’s just being real.

But, for me, it just feels good to look the other way. I know negativity exists. I just choose to seek out the other stuff. It takes your thoughts away from what you were thinking and puts you in the now.