January 8, 2019
I enjoyed the Disney movie Pollyanna when it first came to theaters in 1960, and I enjoyed it again a couple years ago on a Netflix DVD. Filmed at the McDonald mansion in nearby Santa Rosa, it’s the charming story of an orphan girl who has a positive attitude that uplifts the people around her. I sometimes call myself a pollyanna because I try to have an upbeat mindset most of the time. Then I have days like today where my mood takes a dive.
I had a productive and rewarding morning at work, then met my friend Gus for a pleasant conversation and Vietnamese noodle soup. But later in the day, I allowed external influences to get me down. I made the mistake of reading too many articles in the New York Times, first about the political dysfunction in Washington and then the political dysfunction in Latin America. Depressing stuff. Then I watched a little TV news about the bickering in Washington, before shutting that off and feeling more depressed.
So I decided to watch a DVD of the HBO TV series, Insecure. It has gotten good reviews, and I thought that maybe getting a dose of black culture would be a fun antidote to the bad news on TV and in the newspaper. Wrong. I hated the show, and couldn’t watch any more than the first episode. Full of profanity and shallow, ugly behavior, I thought it portrayed African American culture in a negative, stereotypical light. It probably helps to be young or black or both to appreciate the hip hop culture, but since I’m neither I detested it. Interestingly, its audience is mostly white, and Oprah Winfrey and the Obamas, people I respect, are said to like it. So what do I know? All I can say is that after watching and reading the news and then seeing an episode of Insecure, I felt despair at the state of the human race.
Being the pollyanna that I am, I realized that I didn’t want to wallow in my state of hopelessness. So I did three things to lift my spirits.
First, I watched a five minute YouTube video called Where the Hell is Matt 2012. In it this young white guy travels the world, dancing with people from diverse cultures. His dancing is sometimes silly, but the music and the message of universal love of humanity are joyful and inspiring.
Second, I sat in front of my Buddhist altar and chanted prayers for inspiration and awakening for myself and for all humanity.
Third, I reviewed a wonderful book I’ve read several times, Proof of Heaven by Eben Alexander. He’s a neurosurgeon who had a near death experience, and his descriptions of the afterlife are wondrous indeed.
After the video, the prayers, and the book, I feel better. I don’t deny the darkness of the world, but I choose to focus on the light. It’s the only way I can keep my sanity in this crazy but beautiful world.
David Wigginton 