Discontent; disappointment; failure

Not much positivity in that headline.  Comes as part of life, I suppose.  We all have our ups and downs.  Keeping score or trying to compare to others is a waste of effort.  Besides, how can we really tell what’s going on with said others? 

Because I carry it well doesn’t mean it’s not heavy. 

Unknown Sage on Social Media 

What do you do when faced with life’s “downs”?  Like the above example, research suggests people are increasingly turning to social media and AI for support.  I must admit, I’m finding a lot of posts on social media these days that are uplifting.  That is, after sifting through those “other” kinds of posts, know what I mean?  Here’s a recent example that resonated with me, did you see it too? 

Do you turn to God when life has you in troubled waters?  I must admit turning to social media and/or the machines makes me worry if people now believe Friedrich Nietzsche, was right: 

God is dead.  God remains dead.  And we have killed him. 

Nietzsche was/still is a famous 19^th century philosopher whose work is known for irony and critiques of many things including religion.  Provocative, yes?  When faced with such provocation, I turned to the machines and found this: 

"Provocativeness" is a word. It's a noun that refers to the quality or characteristic of being provocative, which means tending to provoke or incite, often with a negative connotation. 

                   AI 

The “negative connotation” part gives me pause.  I prefer to believe provocativeness enables us to check-in with ourself and reinforce our fundamental - positive - convictions.  Nietzsche might be proud of the irony; negative inputs provoking our ability to find positivity.  He’s not alone: 

It's not what happens that matters.  It's how you respond. 

Urban Meyer 

I know social media and AI are part of our world now.  I’m trying to keep an open mind about their positive possibilities.  But to help equip me when facing the machines I prefer to keep God (and positivity) in my life even when life is a “bear”.  Back to the Google machine: 

Bears are a bold spiritual symbol of strength, courage, protection, and healing.  They can represent family and motherhood, in addition to renewal and solitude.  Bears have appeared in mythological traditions worldwide, from Native American and Norse to Celtic and Slavic tales. 

“… strength, courage, protection, and healing …” powerful positivity in the face of discontent; disappointment; or failure, true? 

GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.