Is 'negativity' simply a perception?

Negativity is nothing but the way in which one responds to a particular situation: with sadness, anger, frustration, jealousy, or fear. A situation is not negative; negativity comes from within one’s self, and the mere perception of something being negative.

Why does one perceive things to be negative? Because one’s fragile ego assumes responsibility, and therefore seeks control of situations. It is this illusion of ‘control’ that leads to one feeling responsible, and in the eventuality of those expectations not being met, one reacts with sadness, anger, frustration, jealousy, or fear.

The way to deal with negativity is to monitor the way we react. Our reactions are reflexive. Often, we regret our reactions in retrospect. In such a case, it helps if we become a little more conscious each time we react and regret it. Over a period of time, we will begin to think before reacting and eventually, our reactions will not be reflexive anymore. We will realize that rather than the situation, it is we who are negative.

The best way to deal with a situation is to be like an observer. When a situation is unfolding in front of us, even though we are involved in that very situation, if we simply pulled ourselves out like an observer, our reactions will be less reflexive. Observing things from a distance, we will begin to think before reacting.

Rather than asking why do people anger us, we should ask why do we lack peace. This is a positive perspective to something that could normally be viewed as negative.