Positive thinking!
What is positive thinking?
Is it telling people not which mistakes to make? Or is it telling them which mistakes they have done?
Is it positive to talk about mistakes at all? Or isn't it better not to mention mistakes, but only refer to the good and correct that has been uttered by others or done?
Of course, some of you will now pose the question, maybe, what is 'good' and what is 'correct' supposed to be? Are these relative notions or absolute ones?
(1)What is correct or good for me, must not be necessarily good or correct to someone else!
Having said the latter is thereby automatically implied - at least from my point of view – that the seat, so to say, to act and think positively has been planted? Yes, indeed – somehow!
Taken the above phrase (1) into consideration, one would have to sit down and talk with others about his or her definition of ‘good’ or ‘bad’? I believe that such has been done – as much as I could see and hear, when visiting bi-communal meetings – in Cyprus for most likely too long and too intensive. It has kind of developed – although the ones meeting in such meetings have best and very honourable reasons and intentions - in to a culture of blaming one another – and be it even very refine and indirectly!
Lately I had been in the Goethe Zentrum where this wonderful woman from South-Africa was invited to share her views on the Cyprus problem at one of those bi-communal meetings.
It is her, who planted the seat in me going ahead with what I presumed quite for some time to be very necessary here on the islands and amongst the islanders (2): to cultivate a culture of positive thought and action.
This term – for the ones that may have heard of positivism in Philosophy or Sociology – is not a rational method to look at things, the problem in Cyprus. As a matter of fact it is intended even, not to mention the so-called problem too often or at all – only if necessary – as if not to destroy the energy and motivation that will have to be arisen amongst the communities. The above mentioned (2) does of course not intend to say that the bi-communal meetings were of negative content or something that is or was going into this direction. No!
But fact is that obviously some of the bi-communal founders, or if not so its seemingly most prominent heads, speak publicly and recurring about a certain “deadlock” they have got into with their bi-communal activities.
It would be blowing up the frame of this contribution to analyse the reasons for the so-called ‘deadlock’ – and actually it is not at all intended to step into – more or less – the same trap they seem to be stuck in: the trap of analysing others ‘goods’ or ‘bads’ till the details lock you dead.
The workshop Positive Thinking is supposed to be a workshop. A workshop is a getting together of people of different social backgrounds and educational levels etc. to experience while experiment positive thinking. Stereotypes therefore want and have to be broken open - and will have to be broken open. Stereotypes about oneself, too. It is for the participants important to get a certain guideline (I was repeatedly made aware of the fact that the islanders have a rather traditional conditioning. The latter means that the way they are brought up, I was told, is a passive approach towards life: the parents dictate what, who, why and when! Of course, they grow up, was my first thought, when such was said to me, who directs them then through life?), but more important is that they reach a point of common interest. Whatever this may be (bird flu victims, AIDS victims, women or men left alone, living in the street, feeding street-cats or gathering litter on the beach, language learning, for example English, German or Chinese, Thai Chi, Chinese medicine, name it!
Let me say something to the guideline. But before I do so, I want to emphasize again on the nature of a workshop: it is not somewhere were you go and sit down and consume a speech and maybe join some kind of discussion about a topic. No! The workshop expects active contribution and willingness to open up from within by taking action with others on a topic that out of some reason will evolve while one comes together or because the before mentioned guideline opened that interest in one way or another – and opening up means to really want to experience something even that may not have a direct material worth or connection to the – excuse – ‘good’ old and best known problem: Cyprus! The guideline is some kind of companion for in the first place – if there is demand for the coming meetings, too – a sort of introduction, which will give the participants maybe room to develop some kind of common ground for future meetings.
The positive thinking can therefore be defined as: active involvement for active solutions on a small scale. Whatever kind of common interest or interests will be realised by the participants on that very first meeting or after some, almost automatically will it create new ‘enemies’, which are useful to – as the lady from South-Africa said – feel success and bind together.
It is ‘only’ me, who will at the first meeting constitute or present the guideline. If there is need, someone else can do – another - guiding line at the next or even the following meetings, but under one condition: no linkage, no word on the so-called problem, no negativisms on anybody or anything! I know, you already ask: what are negativisms and who will decide whether her or his contribution is pointing into this direction?
In this case we will have to see simply, how the participants will react. Accordingly to their reaction, we will not focus on discussing the negativity of something but will rather try then to find out, how this ‘load’ can be switched positive or if it is best to leave it unanswered.
Ever heard about Huna? Huna is a way to approach life. It is an approach, which the Hawaiians tender towards life traditionally – very positive in its intention, spiritual healing.
I may connect this knowledge with simple exercises that will be taken either from the Huna or Qi Qong – most likely not from the Tai Qi (I practise the latter as Tai Qong Do – Alexander since 10 years. I am the founder and teacher of it. Tai Qong Do – Alexander is a mixture of Tai Qi, Qung Fu and Qi Qong as well as knowledge of Chinese Medicine, which is included and is being taught alongside with it. I am a trained and practising Shiatsu Masseur).
The aim is not to turn the participants into Huna-followers, nor to awake their interest in Chinese Medicine or Chinese combat arts. This guideline is supposed to be a tool, something to open a complete – I hope it will be completely unknown to many of them – different world, approach, time passing and experience.
It is not expected to get results on the same day – this would be, indeed, rather exceptional or surprising. Such an experience has to grow from within and its fruits will have to be collected, when the participants start becoming active on a common topic, which may be triggered within them because of this experience and, of course, the time which will be spend together after the guideline was presented – and be it only that they – once again – only theoretically talk of something they call their common topic (which would be, from my point of view, not a satisfying result, but would nevertheless most likely not be worse than what the situation is like now and maybe at least the “deadlock” perception may have vanished then.