auntblabby wrote:
people who have been constantly defeated by life have no reasons to be positive, and often can't even comprehend what positive is, i.e., "been down for so long i don't know which way is up." for such people, horatio alger scenarios are just a cruel joke.
This is EXACTLY TRUE! Oftentimes it takes a life-altering experience to begin to shake lifelong negativity - and even then, it's STILL a DAILY STRUGGLE! Even in the face of positive reinforcement and evidence of goodness in people, you experience so much negativity that that's all you can see. When you have run into negative situation after negative situation from childhood with people/personalities and work around people who are determined to make your life a living HELL because you're not "like everybody else [them]" by keeping you down; trashing you to others at every opportunity, and telling you that you'll never be worth a $#!+, it's hard to be positive.
This is why I am so grateful for the friends I have had and especially for recovery. The latter is the life-altering experience I needed to be able to see positivity and be more positive. The steps also help me to put life into perspective so that I have some HOPE of being able to function in this world.
It's still an uphill battle.