Mostly Sunny or Partly Cloudy?

Challenging times seem to bring out either the very best in people, or the very worst. Certainly we have been in some very challenging times recently. It's all there if you look around and you don't have to look hard...and probably not too far either. My guess is we have all been negatively impacted in some way by some event or situation which hit very close to home: disasters, wars, terrorism, job loss, divorce, loss of a home, loss of a loved one, etc.....the list is endless.

What we do with what we are dealt makes a difference. I have seen it in business dealings, as well as personally. I visit various newspaper websites to keep up on the news of the day. I also visit certain industry websites and get regular email blasts regarding happenings in my industry. I try to keep abreast of the latest news and trends, just as I'm sure most of you do for whatever-it-is-that-you-do. There is more about bankruptcies, consolidations, and closings than profits, growth, and openings. That can be expected in economic downturns and I'm not surprised.

What DOES surprise me is the vitriol and anger being spewed by readers of the news, whether on newspaper websites or industry related sites. It doesn't matter what the article is. If you read comments by readers you will be amazed to see the different kinds of thinking there is out there. And basically this "thinking" can be categorized into two columns, which can be defined using any number of terms:

Love/Hate
Positive/Negative
Half Full/Half Empty
Mostly Sunny/Partly Cloudy

Some people choose to see the good and others choose to see the bad. Some seem to come by their view quite naturally, but I wonder if that can really be the case. I tend to think that there is no natural predisposition to see things a certain way. I believe we are trained one way or the other and conduct our lives accordingly.

There are some who have conditioned themselves to see problems, pitfalls, and negativity first. They expect failure and generally distrust everyone. Typically in "Reader Comments" they are the ones who don't identify themselves. They are eager to spew their negativity but don't want anyone to know who they are.

On the other hand, there are those who see rays of light in every situation. They are the ones who see opportunity when faced with a challenge; they are the ones who give others the benefit of the doubt; and they are the ones looking for the survivor amid the rubble. They are not necessarily eager to identify themselves either, but they don't seem to be worried about someone knowing who they are.

I try to be a seeker of light. All of my friends are seekers of light and I'd much rather be around other business associates who seek the same. It's not always easy, though.

One thing is for sure: if I focus on the positives and help others get what they want, I don't have time to worry about all the negative others getting what they deserve.