Issue 076

June 2011

It seems to be an epidemic. Attitude is contagious and the problem we have now is the amount of negative people in the world outnumbering those with a more positive outlook. When preparing for a fight, it’s easy to get swept up in pessimism because of the pressures of training camp and all the things that come with it. Injuries, illnesses and fatigue affect training sessions and can cause you to think negatively – especially as the fight draws closer. You have to resist though, or you’ve lost the fight before you even enter the cage.

Dan Hardy

Professional fighter in the UFC welterweight division

Even in your down time there are uncontrollable, detrimental external factors: people around you in your every day life, the media who are notorious for having something bad to say, and the few fans that can’t seem to help being down on life and get in the swim with the rest of us. Exactly why I limit the time I spend on forums during training camp. It seems a lot of people use forums as a cathartic outlet when they have had a bad day, or when they generally suck at being a member of the human race. They log onto the forum, hide behind a screen name, and bitch about people they’ve never met and know nothing about.

Social networking sites, such as Twitter and Facebook, are much the same. It’s the same as the insecure bully at school, putting other kids down to make themselves feel better, only this time they can hide away behind a keyboard. These, in my opinion, are a breeding ground for negativity and its closely linked sibling stupidity. Making negative comments about someone, for the sake of it, doesn’t help anyone and the more people read and hear that kind of stuff, the more bitter and pessimistic everyone becomes.

As a professional athlete, especially one that is as outspoken as me, you come into contact with this type of thing often. You have to build yourself a shield to deflect all of the negativity people throw your way or it will get you down. I’m pretty good at the old ‘water off a ducks back’ method, mainly because I pity people who feel the need to do it to make their lives seem a little more important.

As my fellow human beings, you all have a responsibility to one another. First, to hold back your cynicism and despair so it doesn’t spread and begin infecting the positive people around you. Secondly, you need to put up a strong front to the people who cannot control their melancholy attitude. This will prevent you from becoming a ‘carrier’ of this pessimistic vibe, and contributing to an epidemic that is slowly spreading around the world.

If you feel you may already been infected, do not panic, as this will push you further down the spiral towards becoming a helplessly miserable creature. 

WARNING SIGNS

You find yourself hating on others for their success or ability to smile in the face of adversity.

You log onto forums to tell everyone your opinion on why such-and-such is a bum without knowing him personally or professionally.

You find yourself criticizing a person’s skills, even though they are the ones out there doing the damn thing.

If you are suffering from any or all of these symptoms then please recognize you are becoming a hindrance to the progress of society and fix it. There are so many options open to you in this situation that you have no excuse being a burden on the rest of the world. We’re all here for a short time. None of us really know why for sure, or even if there is really a point to it all. But, one thing is certain: what you do in your life, affects those around you in one way or another.

The way I see it, there are two extremes. There is the Adolf Hitler, Pol Pot extreme, where the general consensus around the world is that it would be better if you had never existed at all. And then there is the Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jnr end of the scale, that help to evolve and inspire generations.

I’m not saying go out there and become a pioneer of the free world and lead masses of people to a new level of social consciousness (you can if you like, but it is a tall order). But recognize what you do and say has an effect on those around you. Contributing something positive to the environment around you, be it big or small, is so much more rewarding that spewing negativity at every opportunity. What you contribute to humanity in the time you are here may be all you are remembered for, so make it worthwhile. 

The definition of negativity is: ‘lacking in constructiveness.’ How can you benefit at all from your life if you are constantly trying to tear yourself and others down? Don’t be that person.

Out(law)