I think it’s safe to say that we all like to be around positive people. But what does that mean? How do we identify a “positive” person?

A dictionary definition of positive is “generated in a direction arbitrarily or customarily taken as that of increase or progression.” By definition, negative is merely the opposite of that.

Democrats will think you’re a positive person if you agree with them, and Republicans will think you’re positive if you agree with them. Christians will think you’re positive if you agree with them, and Muslims will think you’re positive if you agree with them.

I know who the REALLY positive people are – the ones that agree with me!

A Positive Global Direction

A positive direction is arbitrary. That means we define it. it seems worthwhile to define a global direction that we can all use as a baseline, a reference point, for how to work together to create a great future.

Futurist Buckminster Fuller proposed this strategic planetary direction:

Make the world work for 100% of humanity in the shortest possible time through spontaneous cooperation without ecological damage or the disadvantage of anyone.”

I’d say that’s a good definition of an overall positive direction.  Do you agree?

I like to have something short and easy to remember, so the shorthand I use is “the highest good of all concerned.”

Polarization

Democrat is NOT the opposite of Republican. Environmentalist is NOT the opposite of capitalist. Alternative forms of energy are NOT the opposite of traditional forms of energy.

To see these qualities as opposites creates a polarizing effect, highly charged, and energy is wasted – through the heat of arguments, in blocking the opposition, in the push and pull of trying to get someone to move in our supposedly better, more positive direction. It makes it extremely difficult to work together, as these opposite charges by their very nature drive the other away.

Look at the Republican and Democrat political agendas. They are not opposites. You could say that one is a little to the “left” and one is a little to the “right” of Fuller’s defined direction but the general direction is consistent with Fuller’s. Not a tug of war.

In the political seasons, negative ad campaigns are rampant. Instead they could be focusing on the areas of agreement, and there definitely are plenty. Let’s quit wasting our energy fighting against each other, start focusing on similarities rather than differences, and pull in the direction we can agree upon.

Environmental Direction

In my book Beyond Light Bulbs I talk about a Balanced Energy Economy.  Whether you advocate for traditional or alternative energy sources, there is so much demand that we need both.

We started our company Go Green Squads to reduce unnecessary energy use. Surely we can all agree that we don’t want to use up the earth’s resources if we don’t have to.  I hope we can also agree that we prefer less emissions released into the air because we prefer better air quality.

In both cases there are multiple paths to get there. If we agree on the destination, it’s fine if we take different routes. Put our energy into getting there, not on blocking the path for others to get there. There is plenty of opportunity, plenty of need.

 

And gee… just maybe… it could be fun to work together on creating a great future!