Thoughts on Negativity

1. My pastor has convinced me that I need to be more positive. Not in a "New-Agey" kind of way, of course; nor in a "Pollyanna" kind of way. Rather, in my opinions and polemics especially, I tend to be forceful in what I'm against; the result being that people are less willing to receive what I have to say. I agree with him, though I admit that in practice it is much more difficult than it sounds. 
2. In a similar vein, I came across an online news article from this past April entitled, "Strange but True: Emotion Expressed as Negativity is Bane of Blogosphere". How true. Even as I survey my recent posts, it sounds very much like I'm angry all the time. Many bloggers, myself included, use blogging as an outlet to "vent" a lot of negative thoughts about various things. How many of the comment threads in cyberspace become lengthy only because people are arguing? I myself need to learn when argument is necessary and/or constructive, versus it being done to satisfy a sinful need to feel superior, without the parties involved ever attempting or desiring to understand the other side of the issue. Read the section entitled "INTJ Personal Growth" in the My Personality section of my blog for more of my personal challenges on this issue. 
3. I received a comment recently, after leading worship one Sunday and using what some people considered an overabundance of songs in minor keys (I used two). It is interesting how minor modes are often associated entirely with negativity - indeed, I myself tend to think that only songs of lament and anger should be in minor keys. Yet, the minor key provides melodies that can be haunting, gripping and very memorable, without necessarily being coupled with "negative" lyrics. Ancient Jewish culture, for example, used minor modes extensively for all sorts of lyrics expressing all manner of emotions. It would be an interesting experiment to couple "happy" lyrics with a gripping minor melody. 
4. In a recent post, I used the word "hate". As my pastor pointed out, "them's fightin' woyds!" An interesting debate - is the word "hate" un-Christian? "Hate" is a strong word, to be sure, but it expresses a strong emotion. It is negative, yes, but is it excessive? So, to rephrase the question, is negativity appropriate, and if so, in what measure? Who decides how much negativity is too much? 

I'll try to post some "positive" thoughts soon, to balance out the fightin' words that have characterized recent posts.