this post was submitted on 19 Apr 2024
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Humanities & Cultures
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100% agree.
I would also add our Individualistic and Puritanical culture to the mix of causes. We're told all of your problems are 100% in your control, and that if you're not working 100% of the time that you're a worthless piece of shit that doesn't deserve to live, that no structural issues exist, that there's nothing you can't 100% overcome with enough individual determination. It's so unbelievably toxic and unhealthy, and causes people to not only not have sympathy or empathy for others, but to see empathy as a negative trait, as a weakness.
Your perspective on your problems is 100% yours, not it itself.
Sorta, this kind of thinking can only take you so far before the dissonance destroys your mental health.
Additionally, not everyone believes that just your mental state is yours to control. Many folks justify their own wealth by believing that they deserve everything they have and that people who have less by extension deserve their poverty.
Not sure why there should be any dissonance.
It's not about deserving anything and it's not about control. It's not about justification. Quite the opposite. There are many societal and cultural expectations for people to behave a certain way, for example, and I think that many of these lead to problems for people because they cannot or don't want to meet them.
You cannot change anything about society by yourself. You cannot change the system by yourself. But you can change your relationship to it and break free from its chains and realize the power you actually have in the situation. Ruminating about how bad everything is keeps you blind to it.
That's such a meaningless sentiment. Sure, I can try to "feel positive" about my ability to navigate or overcome systemic issues, but that doesn't make it so that I actually can. This is just "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" thinking with a toxic positivity veneer.
It's only as meaningless as you make it :)
It's not about positivity, it's about acceptance which allows you to navigate the situation better.