You hear about them all the time.

Be positive. Think positive. I'm positive. Stay positive. Positive thinking is the key. There are coasters, notebooks, self-help books, entire industries built off this one word.

If you have nothing nice to say then don't say nothin'. Don't be a Negative Nancy. I don't mean to be negative, but... Quit being so negative.

It can all become noise.

But after learning one thing about these two words, I never quite saw them the same way.

Let's talk etymology for a second.

The word "positive" has a Latin root meaning roughly to be set or placed; to be settled; to be positioned for something. It's not a far leap to then connect new and related meanings to the word. It means you're ready. You know where you stand. You're positioned for success.

The word "negative" has a Latin root meaning roughly to deny; to say no; to prohibit or be opposite. There are lots of ways you can slice that. It's clear on the surface that denying things or saying "no" will be more likely to keep you in the same place you are today, rather than moving you toward your goals. The best you can hope for in this case is to say "no" to something that will further bring you down - like picking up a drug habit, or committing a crime. Not a very high ceiling here.

What strikes me most about the root of the word "negative" is that each meaning implies that you are reacting to something that's already been done to you. You're responding to something that's already there.

As an aspiring nondual thinker, that to me is a dealbreaker right there. If being negative means responding to something already here, it must necessarily be a less creative stance than to be positive.

Being positive positions you for something - something new. Being negative allows you to express an opinion on something that's already established.

"Well duh, of course you're generally better off being positive than being negative," you're probably thinking to yourself right now - and rightfully so.

But, at least in my experience, adding this extra level of understanding of both words has enriched my relationship with their meanings. It has helped me justify further to myself why I should be positive, and I do not want to be negative.