Haha. That gave me a good chuckle, thanks. =)

Thank you for your feedback. I have to agree that non-duality doesn’t essentially “apply” to everything. It doesn’t really have to apply become non-duality is the ultimate reality. Duality is inherently illusory, but it is a real illusion.

I also agree that positivity and negativity are distinct from each other. I also have to say while explicitly they are two, implicitly they are one, because each one implies the other.

As far as positivity being translated as good and negativity as bad, I think this is rooted in people general desire to be the same. Like likes like. If I agree with you, you are going to have a better response than if I disagree, generally speaking. People also like it when other people follow along, they’re being positive or agreeing. People generally don’t like it when people disagree or stray from the norm, they’re being negative, they’re negating everyone else. I think that’s generally how positivity and negativity began to be seen as good and bad. In reality though, there is no such thing, there just is. Perception is really what makes the difference though. Perhaps I’ll write my next article on this subject.

For me positivity means actively trying to be happy, even if it sometimes means giving up on other things I would like such as being right in an argument. It’s pretty clear that this is distinct from being unhappy. Negativity could be anything with a different expected outcome, or it could be someone who actually likes being unhappy. When it comes down to it, there’s little chance that happiness and unhappiness are the same thing – and I think the one that you work towards is a distinct choice.

Positivity and negativity really touch on a lot of different areas – from how we interact with other people to how our mind interact with the physical universe we perceive. As far as something is subjective, positivity is distinct from negativity and important because your interpretation of something changes what it is. Everyone agrees that if someone is trying to be nice to you but you see their communication in a negative way that will alter the relationship. Other applications are less clear, but you can still influence your emotions about things.

That said, there is a lot of non-duality. I found the link to your blog on Steve Pavlina’s forums. If you read his articles on “lightworkers” and “darkworkers” last year they’re a perfect example. He makes a convincing point that people who are completely consumed with either making their own lives better or making the lives of others better tend to come to the same conclusion because you can’t have that level of focus on improving one life while ignoring another. Even if you accept it morally the person experiencing a “bad” life will act in ways that can disrupt the balance.

That’s an example of where non-duality makes a lot of sense, but it still doesn’t have to apply to everything. Regardless of the conclusions you come to though, the excercise usually improves your thinking.