In a country and culture where these two words have so much power and influence, it’s important to be conscious of the context, perspective, and filter through which you are receiving, inhabiting, and expressing those words. This has a major influence on your perception, your reality. I am the one who gives Life meaning. You are the one who gives Life meaning. Everything I can see, taste, touch, smell, or hear, every thought, emotion, sensation, breath, feeling, intention, action, word, and anything else that I can imagine, conjure, comprehend, manifest, and that has ever existed, exists, and will ever exist is LIFE. Life IS.

Therefore, there are billions, Infinite different kinds of meanings of Life. This is also influenced by your/my upbringing, socio-economic status, religion, traumas, culture, language, and many other influences. This can be very unnerving and unhinging especially to those that don’t like to take responsibility for their thoughts, feelings, beliefs, actions, or words. This is one of the things that I have learned through my Ancient lomi lomi practice, and I now see in other indigenous and Eastern perspectives. 

Generally speaking, US culture and most religions teach us to push away the negative, get rid of the darkness, only have positivity, bring in only the good/light, etc. This happens in the Wellness, Holistic, and Healing Arts community as well. What may be negative in one situation or moment may not be so in another. This can depend on the root or origin point you are coming from and the context of the situation.

Ex 1:  You have tested “positive” for cancer. 

Ex 2:  You have tested “positive” for HIV

Ex 3:  You have tested “positive” for a rare disease.

YAY for positivity!!! WOOHOO!!!

All of a sudden “negative” sounds a hell of a lot better, doesn’t it?! It’s in the “darkness” of sleep that our body rejuvenates and we have the ability to see the stars. In art and theater you need “negative” space or “shadow” for objects/structures and makeup to stand out. Too much “light” blinds us. By trying to get rid of “negativity”, “bad”, “unholy”, or any other synonym, we can sometimes create more variants of it. It can have a devastating effect on society, especially when you are being asked to sit in, feel, and accept an emotion or concept you don’t like. Why should any person accept and feel something they don’t like when society, religion, family, etc. have taught them NOT TO? If it can be learned, then can’t it be unlearned? 

I want to offer another possibility. What if instead of pushing away the “negative, bad, unholy, etc.” we brought it closer to ourselves and made it a contributing factor of our lives? What if we used that energy in a different way? There may be times where anger or a “negative” emotion or response is needed; i.e. seeing a child being abducted, an animal being abused, or an injustice happening. Your “negative” response may be the perfect ENERGY to help you in that particular situation to take action, to save the child or animal, or stop the injustice. That “negative” response may give you a foundation to speak words that shift a conflict, create a boundary, or the ability to defend yourself. 

At the end of the day, in my humble opinion, every single emotion we have is ENERGY. We choose to label it. Things that make you or I angry may not make others angry. Situations that make you or I uncomfortable may not make others uncomfortable, and so on. Our society tends to generalize and project onto others “how things should be” instead of remembering and recognizing that every single human being is its own universe with Infinite filters of looking at, receiving, inhabiting, and interpreting Life. We choose to agree to certain societal norms during periods of time, which will change at some point. It’s inevitable. A lot of people don’t like change. It can make people feel out of control. Sometimes, when people feel out of control they will do practically anything to gain that control back even to the point of diminishing, ridiculing, hurting, or killing someone. 

So, unless we look WITHIN ourselves and explore different ways of being aware of, acknowledging, and accepting the “good, bad, positive, negative, holy, unholy, etc.” and recognize that they can change, transform depending on the moment at hand, and be contributing factors in our lives, we will continue to distance and push each other away (just like we have been taught) and create more variants of separation, division, and alienation. How do you create a space for “negative/bad/unholy” things to be contributing factors? There will be another blog on just that soon. 

Please remember that anything I say is just ONE possibility. Something may happen to me tomorrow or right after writing this that changes my entire perception. Nothing is permanent. Everything is in constant internal and external evolution. If something resonates with you, great. If it doesn’t, great. With which tone or voice did you read this? Who was speaking inside your head? Be aware of this as it can easily influence how you’re receiving what is on here. Feel free to share your perspectives in the comment section below.