Some Local Stuff

Mental Health and Not Discounting the Positive

I first got a camcorder for Christmas in 1996. My mom took video of this with hers, she had one before me, and my uncle Bill had a great big one before any of us, so I have some videos from them, as well, even earlier than that.

Here is a short intro video to some of the stuff I’ve collected and why it matters to me. Much has been said about the area, how it’s in decline, how there is a drug and alcohol problem, and so on, but the same is true of many places. Practicing gratitude means we can also acknowledge the good.

Me with my camera in 1996 or so.

“Discounting the positive” is a cognitive distortion which we all probably suffer from, from time to time, so it’s good to name it and work on it. Marcus Aurelius told us to thank our teachers (well, only if we read his private diaries or whatever, but he’s dead and they were pretty based, as the kids say these days), so knowing that allows me to forgive myself for existing and taking up space in the world, which had always seemed a criminal act until I read Sam Keen and some others.

In times of great uncertainty, in interesting times, working on one’s mental health is even more important, in my opinion, so that we can use our energy for good rather than for self-destruction or attacking others who don’t deserve it. If you are triggered by something positive, that tells you something about what to work on within yourself, and then you can stop projecting it on others.

This is why I give out copies of books. Over the years, I’ve bought up copies of Sam Keen’s Your Mythic Journey, more recently I discovered Kiki Bryant and her wonderful book Decentering Men. This is not anti-men, this is for women who have been told lies that their self worth depends on men, and how to get out of that sad state. And it’s for all kinds of women, those who act out sexually, and those who don’t (I’m one of the one who didn’t, I just isolated my whole adult life and thought I was socially broken).

Sam Keen works for people in a more general sense, with a lot of examples, but it’s also a workbook of sorts with writing exercises so you can make it personal. We are storytelling creatures, and Joseph Campbell also wrote a lot on that. Jaron Lanier brought this more into the present and has written on how social media has made these things even harder by bringing out people’s inner trolls more.

There are more links in the YouTube video description, as well! Anyway, this is what’s been on my mind. I’ve been walking through town and trying to see the positive, and it’s been working for me. I wish it would work for others.