Acclaimed journalist, author and political activist Barbara Ehrenreich explores the darker side of positive thinking. View a video of her lecture at the RSA that inspired this animation. Download a transcript of this video (pdf)
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I love this plea for REALISM!!!!!! Wonderful animation!
I think she misinterprets the point of positive thinking. The point is not that thoughts can change external reality (which would be magic), but rather that positive thinking can help the individual overcome setbacks. If we sit and bemoan our fate, we won't work to change it. If we think positively -- that we can make things better -- we will work to make things better. we are hard wired to be optimists; in the face of defeat, we pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and start all over again. Those who did survived and passed on their genes; those who acceted defeat were less likely to do so. Being optimistic and overconfident had survival value, even if such attitudes aren't always realistic.
She say's "Powerlessness" not "Perilousness". Though either might be apt.