New Age, Alternative,
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Negative
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We become impatient with negative space and underestimate its importance. Media-induced, glamorous images of what life should look like: void of pain, growth opportunities, conflict, aging, illness, stress, danger, and the harsh realities of real life can mislead us to believe that happiness is gilded, attached to shiny possessions, and easily won. A common, almost unconscious idea of happiness is that it is a point of life devoid of challenges. If the attainment of this type of life were possible, nobody would live. Trying
to avoid negative space and its inevitable
pain causes people to hold on to bad situations,
choosing to actively participate in a toxic
situation out of which nothing good could
ever emerge, or which at best obstructs
better use of time and effort.
Denial
is defined as refusal to confront a personal
problem or something troublesome in reality
by ignoring its existence. In some situations
we find denial more comfortable, burying
true thoughts, feelings, reactions, and
the opportunity to grow in the act of staying
busy perpetuating the situation. Maybe inside,
we hope it will change. But the act of staying
involved and devoting relentless energy
into it actually produces more of the same.
Activity
becomes destructive instead of constructive.
To remove this external situation and live
without it would do away with the constant
need for the activities and energy required
to keep it intact, creating an openness
out of which growth and healing would eventually
emerge. The absence of deliberate activity,
and the presence of time with nothing to
fill it provide a space filled with creative
possibilities.
Despite
the term, negative space is constructive
to life. It works hand in hand with the
active processes that build our personal
and professional lives and inner attitudes.
Life offers constant opportunities to create
and learn from the unobvious. Think about
it when things are “down” and
not “happening” on the surface.
Focusing on life from the perspective of
negative space helps us to view the whole
picture of our lives, become better able
to appreciate the realization of our ultimate
goals, and see the great value in the hole
of the doughnut.
Viola
Nelson, degreed in art history and anthropology,
considers life a sacred journey, and through
a series of ups and downs, is learning to
continually create from life's
“negative spaces”. Contact her
at Nelsonv1872@cs.com
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