There is one final level of attitude in groups that is worth considering, political attitudes.The polarity of positive versus negative in politics is one that is often noticed but I don't know that anyone has really considered it deeply.What would it mean to have a seriously positive politics? That is, not a positivity that ignores the bad, ugly, unpleasant things in the world, but a positive political message and organization that is deeply engaged with the world and makes an effective difference for the better. The frame of reference that I think is relevant in politics is the metaphors that are used by politicians and activists to explain their vision of the world.A negative political vision is one in which we are stopping negative forces in the world, slowing negative movements, reacting against other people, suppressing vices, dividing groups or controlling negative human impulses.A positive political vision is one in which we accelerate positive movements, encourage virtuous behavior, support people to be better and improve their lives, or enabling freedom that contributes to the common good.Holding onto a positive attitude politically does run some risk of being used for negative purposes but only if we do not honestly observe how people's lives are actually being affected by our actions.But that is the risk of deceiving ourselves that we run everyday, so it is easily reduced by regular practices of empathy and compassion that help us to connect and re-connect with other people and our world.
