The Clash Between Positive and Negative Thoughts

The Clash Between Positive and Negative Thoughts

The concept of positive and negative exists in many fields of study. And in all of these, they seem to oppose each other. They are in constant conflict. Positive expressions state affirmations and agreement to something previously said, while negative expressions declare disagreements and differences of opinion in a discourse. In mathematics, where positive and negative concepts also exist, they refer to integers. Positive integers are numbers greater than 0, located on the right of the number line, and continue to increase its value. On the other hand, negative integers are the exact opposite of positive ones - numbers less than 0, located at the left of the number line and with decreasing value.

Medicine is another field of study which uses the terms positive and negative. Positive is an indication of presence of something in a test, usually particular organisms and illness as in HIV positive. Then again, absence of these particular diseases or condition that is being tested for is what negative means in this particular field. Law, Physics, Photography, Logic, Biology, and Electricity are still some of the many fields of knowledge where the concepts of the conflicts of positivity and negativity are observable. Most importantly, these conflicts between the two are to be discussed thoroughly under the field of cognitive science - the clash between positive and negative thoughts.

Our minds are boundless when it comes to generating thoughts. They produce every idea we need. Comparing it to a search engine in the internet, when we wish to find answers to a certain problem, it will make a list of all solutions, regardless if it's possible or impossible, and acceptable or unacceptable. This is where the clash begins. It's as if the positive thought Yes, I can and the negative thought No, I can't will compete with each other to see who will win the fight in which it will be declared the winner. The prize would then have to be that that thought shall be taken into action.

Given the problem can you ace the math exam you'll be taking tomorrow, the mind works by hypothetically answering the question. Obviously, there are only two possible answers: Yes, I Can (the positive thought) and No, I Can't (the negative thought). If, for example, the mind chooses the negative thought and says No, I Can't, the next thing to do is to just let the person take the exam right away. Pretty easy eh? In fact, it's much easier than the other alternative. This time, still hypothetically, if the mind chooses the positive response and declares that I Can, it has to let the person do several tasks. Surely, he has to do something to accomplish his goal, right? These tasks include review previous lessons, reading, and practicing through exercises. He has to perform all of these again and again until he perfects his exercises in order to ace the exam. Until only then can he take the exam.

Comparing the tasks that the person would have to go through when he chooses any of the possible solutions for the problem, the positive thought would have to let him undergo in a more complex situation than the negative thought. This is what the person would have to measure intensively. Will he go with the thought that he can not ace the exam but without experiencing the hassle of studying and all, or with the thought that he can ace the exam but will have to go through all necessary preparations? How about you? What does your mind say?

That is practically the conflict between the positive and negative thoughts happening in our minds that we should try to resolve. Putting everything into action is the only way to know which thought has won the clash. If, still related to the above problem, the person did nothing until the day he takes the exam, then it is clear that the negative thought convinced him not to study anymore since he won't really be able to ace the exam. On the other hand, if he was seen reviewing, reading, and solving exercises prior on his exam day, then the positive thought induced him that he can ace the exam; that's why, he made the extra effort to achieve his goal.

It is from here that we may conclude that how we act and behave are results of how we think. It is evident through our actions what kind of thoughts in our mind are we carrying out in dealing with our everyday life. If there is something to work on, it is not our actions, but our thoughts which create actions.