+  Positivity + Church  +
+  Suggestions  +
These ideas and beliefs were created for my personal consumption.
I am just sharing these and make no claims of validity or usefullness in your own life.

+  articles of faith  +

1. The existence of a Supreme Being is unknown and unknowable.
To believe in the existence of a god is an act of faith. To believe in the nonexistence of a god is likewise an act of faith. There is no evidence that there is a Supreme Being nor is there evidence there is not a Supreme Being. Faith is not knowledge. We can only state with assurance that we do not know.

2. If there is a Supreme Being, then that being appears to act as if apathetic to events in our universe.
All events in our Universe, including its creation, can be explained with or without the existence of a Supreme Being. Thus, if there is indeed a God, then that god has had no more impact than no god at all. To all appearances, any purported Supreme Being is indifferent to our Universe and to its inhabitants.

3. We are apathetic to the existence or nonexistence of a Supreme Being.
If there is a God, and that God does not appear to care, then there is no reason to concern ourselves with whether or not a Supreme Being exists, nor should we have any interest in satisfying the purported needs of that Supreme Being.

+  reality  +

We don't have all of the answers.
We are still primitive beings and have only a small part of the answers to the mysteries of the universe. We have barely begun to explore the universe, let alone fully understand this one planet. We may even be too simple to ever understand it all. Therefore, why would anyone ever think that our more primitive ancestors could have possibly known how it was all created, by whom, and for what purpose? Why should their writings have more truth and wisdom than anything written in modern times inspired by what we perceive now?

Enjoy living.
Never forget that your life could end any minute now and what happens after that is unknown. Remember and learn from your past, live life to the fullest in the present, and be mindful of and work towards an even better future for yourself and anyone you care about.

You are it.
My reality is mine, your reality is yours and they don't have to be the same. Whatever beliefs you choose to believe, whatever feelings you wish to feel, and whatever thoughts and dreams you wish to have are all real and can't be changed by someone else. If you want a positive life, you can create it.

+  positive and negative  +

Sharing positivity can benefit you.
Being positive may not only make you happier but could make other people more positive and happier. The more positive people become because of you, the better life could be for you and everyone else.

Sharing negativity can hurt you.
The obvious opposite of being positive is being negative, either with what you do or even with what you don't do. A good bit of life seems reactionary, so the effects from being negative will probably be more obvious than the effects of being positive. The more negative you are could make life worse for you and everyone else and just compound any problems.

+  control  +

You can change your reality.
Be a positive force and that positivity can change your environment. You may not have complete control over everything around you, but by NOT acting positively you're not using the control you might have and just don't realize.

You don't have power over everything.
Even though you can change and control things, you don't have complete power over everything. You must learn to recognize the things that are beyond your control and accept them as they are. Never blame yourself or others for things that are not under anyone's control.

+  time  +

You can't change the past.
Don't regret the past, instead remember and learn from it without letting it control your present or future. Don't blame anyone or anything for things that have already happened since it can't change anything. You can always change what you're doing now in response to what you'd like to change about the past. You're creating a new past now and that's all you have power over.

You don't control the future.
Try to keep the future in mind, but never let it stop you from doing what you should or want to do now. If you're doing the right thing now, you're already on a path to a better future.

You only control now.
Enjoy life and live life to the fullest. Now is the only time you have to act. You can't redo the past and you can't control the future, so now is the moment you can seize and control. If there is something you want done and you can do it, don't wait. The chance right now may not last and the future may not even arrive at all.

+  emotions  +

Find humor in everything.
Happiness and humor go hand in hand. Always look for the light side of every situation. Look for the punch line in everything people say. Be amused by the absurd world around you. Try not to take everything too seriously and life will instantly be more enjoyable.

Love is the ultimate positive.
Don't deny the feeling of love, enjoy it. It's the most wonderful feeling you can have for another and shouldn't be extinguished if you have it. You don't have to act on the feeling, but you don't have to be ashamed of it either. You don't have to return the love of others, but don't reject it. All love is a gift.

+  other people  +

We're all different and unique.
Taken as a whole, you're not better or worse than anyone else. You're unique and there's nobody else like you. (That's a good thing!) We're complicated creatures that can't easily be compared to each other. Learn to make the most of your strengths and protect your weaknesses. Be your true self and let everyone else do the same. Your beliefs and knowledge may not apply or work for anyone else. (I know mine don't.) Never try to force another person to be something they aren't or believe something they don't.

Treat others as they want to be treated.
If you're a mean and aggressive person and only respect people that act that way towards you, then I wouldn't want you to follow the golden rule to "do unto others as you would have them do unto you". I'd much rather you follow the suggestion to treat me as I want to be treated not as you would treat yourself.

We should only judge ourselves.
We each establish our own right and wrong. As long we don't harm or negatively impact each other we shouldn't judge each other's beliefs or actions. You only need to worry about what you think of yourself. It's your choice if you let other's views of you to impact who you are and what you do.

Follow the rules.
You have to live in a world of people, so you really shouldn't do whatever you want without thinking about everybody else. Whatever groups you belong to such as a country, a family, an organization, etc.; you should follow it's rules. Breaking rules or ignoring rules that are shared by a group is negative. If you disagree with a rule then try to change the rule to a better one. If you really can't live with a rule at all then it would be better that you leave that group rather than try to destroy it just to please yourself.

Keep your promises.
If you promise something to someone, even yourself, try to keep that promise. You created an expectation with your promise, so if you can't keep a promise then you should at least explain why not and make up for it. Breaking promises, just like rules, is negative and can come back to hurt you.

Tell the truth.
Lies and falsehoods are negative. We all need the truth in order to act and respond to situations in the best manner possible. You can't be your true self if you shroud yourself with lies. Lies can easily catch up to you, since the truth usually can't be denied or fully hidden.

Never prevent people from being themselves.
Don't stop people from being themselves and doing as they wish. If you help make rules or laws, remember that all rules should only prevent us from infringing on each other's rights, not to force people to bow to the will of a majority.

Forgive others and yourself.
Since we can't change the past you should try to forgive others and especially yourself for any wrongdoings. Bad things should not necessarily go unpunished, but you should take into account that seeking revenge may prompt others to seek revenge in return and the cycle may never end. Be the one to break the cycle of personal revenge. Punishment for crimes should be handled by society as a whole. Punishing yourself accomplishes nothing. If you regret what happened, then that is punishment enough. Forgive yourself, lose the regret, learn from the past and then move on.

+  obstacles  +

Travel the path of least resistence.
Given two paths: one shorter but full of obstacles and one longer but free of conflict, choose the longer path as long as you get the same result with minimal compromise. Conflicts and obstacles can be an unneeded negative. Of course, obstacles can be a necessary learning tool for life, but taking on too many obstacles without good reason when an easier path exists can hurt you and may not be worth the effort.

Use of force can be acceptable.
Law enforcement and the military can be necessary to protect people from each other. They should not be used to control or change people and should always serve the people they are supposed to protect. Use of force should be the last step after trying to talk to, reason with, and understand your opponent. However, if there isn't a better alternative, don't hesitate in a use of force if it's required for your self-preservation or the aid of others. After all, it's your opponents' choice to bring about this outcome to a conflict by starting or continuing their aggression.

+  religions  +

Responsibility and blame can be with nobody.
We want to blame somebody for everything. If we don't blame ourselves or someone else, some of us want to blame a higher power rather than admit that things can just happen without a God or Devil to be the cause. Accept that things happen for no reason and don't waste your life trying to find a cause. We don't have the time or intellect to discover and understand all of the unknowns of life so don't let it eat your life away trying to find all of the answers.

Prayer is just a false hope.
Hope itself is a positive force, but to pray usually means putting responsibility in the hands of a higher power. We should just do what we can in life and accept the times when we are powerless. Entrusting your future to an unknown higher power will most likely lead to disappointment rather than peace of mind in the long run. Do what you can, and if you can't make an impact then you need to accept the results or try again.

If you are a person that really believes in the power of prayer, then why does all of the praying in the world not stop a war or any other atrocities? If everyone were to pray for the Sun to appear blue as confirmation of the power of prayer, do you really think it would happen? If so, do it. Personally, I think you can hope for the best but you should pray for nothing.

+  inspiration  +

Good ideas come from anywhere.
Leaders, philosophers, teachers, parents, friends, or even some person living in a box on the street all have one thing in common. They are all human beings with brains that think. Just because someone thinks they’re right, doesn’t make it so. Maybe there is only a glimmer of reality for you in what they think. You should always be open to new and different ideas no matter what the source is. A good thought that you can use in your own life could come from anyone in any form.

LOVE IS THE ULTIMATE POSITIVE!
+  Positivity + Church  +