Positively Speaking, and Blogging

I have had it.

Not with any particular person, media outlet, or blog.

But collectively, Katrina, with the obvious exception of the wonderful efforts at and the results of the charity blogging, has made it dreadfully obvious that we are drowning in a sea of negativity, in most people, most media outlets, and most blogs.

I’m not saying there isn’t a time and a place for negativity. Being against or criticizing somebody or some thing can help bring about positive results.

For example, you can argue that the negativity inherent in exposing the warts in our defenses against natural disasters brought about by Katrina’s fury can work to produce better responses in the future. Fine, I certainly hope so.

But with this storm, I saw the negative swamp (so to speak) any positive news that is out there, and it got me to thinking.

It’s that way with the Iraq War, with the economy, with blog-Mainstream Media tensions, with… you name it. In fact, the negative is not just overwhelming the positive, it’s nearly shouting it down. And I’ll admit something: Maybe you’re stronger than I, but I can’t be exposed to negativity day after day without it beginning to produce negative effects–on me. I sense it, and I’m putting a stop to it.

How? At this blog, there will be at least one uncompromisingly and unashamedly positive post a day, on any day there is any other post. It may be an event, a thing, a person, or something else, but it WILL be positive. And you can be assured that I’m not going to allow negative comments onto a positive post. There’s plenty of opportunity in other posts here and plenty of outlets elsewhere for that.

There is now a category for Positivity. Occasionally, you might be in a situation where you’d prefer to look ONLY at positive things for a while. Choosing or bookmarking the category gives you that ability.

The critical, the negative, and expository pieces won’t go away, and shouldn’t. They are necessary, useful, and, I hope you agree, even occasionally important.

But once-a-day positivity is here to stay. I hope you enjoy it as it unfolds. It starts below.