Negative energy in pages

Have you read a book that affected you?

I remember a few years back a co-worker had this glossy book at her desk. I looked at its cover, which I found curious. It depicted a calming beach scene with a shark fin prominently in the ocean distance. The novelty of this book was it contained sayings that at first appear positive, for instance “If at first you don’t succeed…” and end it with negative words “…don’t waste your energy trying again.”

As I flipped through the pages, I found the sayings amusing, clever and stinging. She let me borrow it so I could read it cover to cover. When I took it home and read a few pages, I began to feel an emotionally heaviness fall upon me.

Generally speaking, I see myself as an optimist—I try not to let too many things get me down. However,  after reading a few pages of this book, a dark cloud of depression loomed over me. I decided to quit reading the book—it wasn’t like I was under any obligation to finish it!

The very next day, I gladly gave the book back to her. As I handed it to her, a relief washed over me. I couldn’t believe someone would want to own a book like that. Then it struck me—she had the tendency to be a very negative person. Biting commentaries were her style. Of course this book was right up her alley!

I had the real life experience of negative energy through words, just like the water expressions experiments of Dr. Masaru Emoto. I knew of power of positive thinking, but never experienced the opposite side until reading that book.

 If I'm ever curious about this book again, I will be sure to only read one saying a day, followed up with a good heaping of chapters from Chicken Soup for the Soul!