Everything is Toxic
Grasping for Relevancy
Swimming in a State of Lack
It's easy to call everything bad when the history doesn't seem so shiny. Where are we? How comfortable are we that we can criticize the world around us and call it toxic with no regard of the amazing technological advancements that allowed us to express ourselves today? Did our ancestors take things for granted the same way we do today? I am sure it was in a different form, but maybe they were too focused on surviving and providing that these small little inconveniences or "injustices" were not as big as we have made them out to be.
When we call something toxic or bad, we make a bold claim. It strips away nuance and most of the time misses the mark on what we are trying to say. We hear buzzwords a bunch and the mere repetition of them seeps into the current cultural consciousness. Words like toxic masculinity, toxic relationships, and toxic ideologies. There are many other words that don't outright use the word toxic, but I am sure you can grasp the idea without the explicit need to expand on the nomenclature. The word toxic is designed to make us feel something. It acts as an emotive trigger. If it is toxic, it must be really bad and we should resist it and get rid of it. The use of this word is meant to get you to react for a certain cause or agenda otherwise there would mostly likely be a softer word usage.
The term "toxic" tends to give us a visceral and "bodily" reaction.
Is there something that is figuratively toxic that everyone can agree is "toxic" across the board?
Take a minute with this one. Can we become victims of our own distorted perception rooted in Universalist Tendencies? How much are we presuming without any type of inquisition?
When we call something anything that makes us feel something akin to "disgust", we are limiting it. We are escaping the potential for understanding. The root of why we call something toxic is more important than the way we use it. If we can look into why we are using a word without just flippantly throwing it around like it is acceptable slang, then we can truly become more self aware.
Curiosity doesn't kill the cat on this one. When we are open to investigate how we use emotionally triggering words, then we can start having constructive and even compassionate discourse.
Let's take the term "toxic masculinity" for example. Masculinity seems to be a cultural construct. If we look at it without trying to moralize it or lumping it in with some type of disastrous historical movement, then we can see how are cultivating unnecessary conflicts. If the concept of masculinity delivers value to a certain individual, who is to say that it is wrong? The concept of masculinity can change over time like a lot of words and other constructs. It all goes back to context. It is quite absurd to assume that masculinity has one overarching meaning that will inevitably lead to toxic behavior. Once again, context is key. Why throw the baby out with the bathwater, when you can look deeper in how labels and concepts can limit, but sometimes empower people in constructing healthy world views?
A toxic label can taint the original relevancy and potency of a particular concept or word.
Well, if everything is sacred then nothing is sacred.
If everything is toxic then nothing is toxic.
Is there toxic femininity? If you were to use the same logic with toxic masculinity then it would make rational sense that there would be a toxic version of femininity. The answer goes back to how and why we are using such terms in the first place, but at the end of the day it is just a label meant to limit and support some type of ideological template. Much like toxic masculinity, why would someone use the grouping of these two words in the first place? There must be a purpose. There must be a narrative. There must be a history of feelings that has lead a person to start to use words that revolve around the toxic concept. As soon as something becomes "toxic" in your mind, it starts to distort your perception. You start to build walls and borders and not bridges to further discussion. If one remains skeptical to new definitions, then they can have an open mind to look at it without any means to an end. Without an agenda or need to shut down conversation.
If you are going to try to poison a concept, attempt to bring out the positive first and make a case for that. If that seems impossible, then dig deeper without trying to call it toxic. Look into why you want you would want to call something toxic in the first place.
Is there something that is figuratively toxic that everyone can agree is "toxic" across the board?
Take a minute with this one. Can we become victims of our own distorted perception rooted in Universalist Tendencies? How much are we presuming without any type of inquisition?
When we call something anything that makes us feel something akin to "disgust", we are limiting it. We are escaping the potential for understanding. The root of why we call something toxic is more important than the way we use it. If we can look into why we are using a word without just flippantly throwing it around like it is acceptable slang, then we can truly become more self aware.
Curiosity doesn't kill the cat on this one. When we are open to investigate how we use emotionally triggering words, then we can start having constructive and even compassionate discourse.
Let's take the term "toxic masculinity" for example. Masculinity seems to be a cultural construct. If we look at it without trying to moralize it or lumping it in with some type of disastrous historical movement, then we can see how are cultivating unnecessary conflicts. If the concept of masculinity delivers value to a certain individual, who is to say that it is wrong? The concept of masculinity can change over time like a lot of words and other constructs. It all goes back to context. It is quite absurd to assume that masculinity has one overarching meaning that will inevitably lead to toxic behavior. Once again, context is key. Why throw the baby out with the bathwater, when you can look deeper in how labels and concepts can limit, but sometimes empower people in constructing healthy world views?
A toxic label can taint the original relevancy and potency of a particular concept or word.
Well, if everything is sacred then nothing is sacred.
If everything is toxic then nothing is toxic.
Is there toxic femininity? If you were to use the same logic with toxic masculinity then it would make rational sense that there would be a toxic version of femininity. The answer goes back to how and why we are using such terms in the first place, but at the end of the day it is just a label meant to limit and support some type of ideological template. Much like toxic masculinity, why would someone use the grouping of these two words in the first place? There must be a purpose. There must be a narrative. There must be a history of feelings that has lead a person to start to use words that revolve around the toxic concept. As soon as something becomes "toxic" in your mind, it starts to distort your perception. You start to build walls and borders and not bridges to further discussion. If one remains skeptical to new definitions, then they can have an open mind to look at it without any means to an end. Without an agenda or need to shut down conversation.
If you are going to try to poison a concept, attempt to bring out the positive first and make a case for that. If that seems impossible, then dig deeper without trying to call it toxic. Look into why you want you would want to call something toxic in the first place.
This all can go towards the idea of "Being Specific". Be clear with what you are exactly saying. It helps everyone.
So you can say that everything is toxic and everything is not toxic and they can hold the same meaning. Obviously painting with a big brush will destroy nuance and limit your world view. Words lead to more words that lead to more words. You can look at a definition and try to describe it in a different way an endless amount of times. The importance goes back to why you are saying or labeling something in the first place.
Are all people "toxic"? No. Could we call some people toxic? We could, but would that get to the root of understanding why we are calling someone a name in the first place? The key is in the why and not necessarily the abject meaning of the word itself.
Toxicity is tied to trauma. Trauma is always linked to the past. The issue lies in the hurt that exists today. The hurt that you and everyone else carries. If we can address that hurt and not try to box it in, but really feel it out and look at it without trying to overtly analyze it, we can start to see the trauma unwind. Doors will open for us if we attempt to the let the ones from the past close without force or effort.
People tend to project and compensate for something that is lacking in your life. If someone were to call you toxic, then they might have some reasons that might not make sense to you. The best thing for you to listen. This seems obvious, but as emotional mammals we tend to get sidelined by words. It might hurt us at first, but if we are patient and let ourselves fully feel an emotion without reacting, then we can open up to new information. We are caught in an emotional world where people can express themselves at the click of a button. The best you can do is look out for how you react to certain words.
How much of the world are we seeing as it is and not what it should be? This is where conflict arises. When we start to try to point fingers and fix the world around us through words and criticisms, then we tend to move away from a process of healing. If we acknowledge the imperfection and atrocities of the world without getting defensive or emotional about it, we can open up a new space for learning. One person's view on what is toxic becomes irrelevant if we step back and see the roots of our own collective suffering.
Everything can be toxic if you let it. Everything can be beautiful if you see it. How are you viewing the world around you? How much does toxicity deal with YOU?
DG
So you can say that everything is toxic and everything is not toxic and they can hold the same meaning. Obviously painting with a big brush will destroy nuance and limit your world view. Words lead to more words that lead to more words. You can look at a definition and try to describe it in a different way an endless amount of times. The importance goes back to why you are saying or labeling something in the first place.
Are all people "toxic"? No. Could we call some people toxic? We could, but would that get to the root of understanding why we are calling someone a name in the first place? The key is in the why and not necessarily the abject meaning of the word itself.
Toxicity is tied to trauma. Trauma is always linked to the past. The issue lies in the hurt that exists today. The hurt that you and everyone else carries. If we can address that hurt and not try to box it in, but really feel it out and look at it without trying to overtly analyze it, we can start to see the trauma unwind. Doors will open for us if we attempt to the let the ones from the past close without force or effort.
People tend to project and compensate for something that is lacking in your life. If someone were to call you toxic, then they might have some reasons that might not make sense to you. The best thing for you to listen. This seems obvious, but as emotional mammals we tend to get sidelined by words. It might hurt us at first, but if we are patient and let ourselves fully feel an emotion without reacting, then we can open up to new information. We are caught in an emotional world where people can express themselves at the click of a button. The best you can do is look out for how you react to certain words.
How much of the world are we seeing as it is and not what it should be? This is where conflict arises. When we start to try to point fingers and fix the world around us through words and criticisms, then we tend to move away from a process of healing. If we acknowledge the imperfection and atrocities of the world without getting defensive or emotional about it, we can open up a new space for learning. One person's view on what is toxic becomes irrelevant if we step back and see the roots of our own collective suffering.
Everything can be toxic if you let it. Everything can be beautiful if you see it. How are you viewing the world around you? How much does toxicity deal with YOU?
DG
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