And what’s wrong with Pollyanna?!?

Recently the bloggers at one of my favorite Catholic blogs were accused of promoting “Pollyanna Catholicism” and “happy-clappy” homogeneity because they have a comments policy that seeks to foster a positive attitude and welcoming atmosphere.

This group of sincere Catholic women post several times a week on their personal thoughts, struggles and aspirations to an audience of thousands of readers. The blog states that it’s mission is to “work toward building a Christ-centered community where we can encourage and support one another in the joyful, challenging, important work of Catholic living.”

Lately some of the comments in the comments boxes have been of a different sort – critical, difficult, holier-than-thou, demanding. This innocuous and peaceful website apparently enrages some folks so much they would make a special trip over there just to troll in the comboxes.

Why? What is it that bothers people so much about focusing on the positive, choosing to eschew rhetoric or divisive debate in favor of support and discussion?

Coincidentally, this discussion came up during a time when I had taken refuge in a book about positivity, hard work, virtue, and its reward.

No, I haven’t been reading Pollyanna. I’ve yet to actually stumble upon that book which has become synonymous with optimism and naivete. But I have been reading “Five Little Peppers and How They Grew,” a book from the same genre, if an earlier era – children face adversity with kindness, optimism and cheerfulness, and brighten the lives of all around them by their happy attitude, eventually coming through trials into good fortune.

Wikipedia says that the original Pollyanna plays something called ‘the Glad Game’ where she tries to find something to be happy about in every situation, and that this actually inspired people to found ‘Glad Clubs’ all over the US to promote positive thinking.

But somehow Pollyanna has turned into an insult. Books of this genre may be loved by children and odd folks like me, but they are rarely ever considered good literature or worthwhile adult reading. Our culture celebrates ‘realism’ and grittiness in books, media and, I am afraid, in day to day interactions. There is a sense where we seem to think that it is more “real” and thus more worthwhile to look down in to the muck rather than up at the stars. When life gives us lemons, we like to commiserate at how sour the lemons are and bristle when someone offers us a recipe for lemonade. The fear seems to be that if we focus on the positive and strive to be better than we are, we may someday stumble and be disappointed and surprised by how many things are still wrong with our lives…that if we aim high we might fall on the way up and be hurt.

Well, let me tell you something.

Life offers plenty of opportunity for hurt just as it is. No matter how positive you are there are some hurts and imperfections that will haunt you every day you live. Original sin has done a pretty good job of ensuring that none of us can really get through life living ‘in a bubble’ and thinking we are above pain or sin.

And there are plenty of voices who will make sure we hear negative things about ourselves, our countries, our neighbors, our families, our beliefs, our aspirations, our world, our humanity. No shortage of pain and sin there.

So what harm does it do to love to dwell on the positive, the uplifting, the inspiring? What good does it do to dwell on our shortcomings, our divisions, our sins, our pain?

Last week was not a good week for me. I had some disappointments, some conflict, some grief, some pain, some frustration. I ran into obstacles. I ran face first in to my own sin.

Then I picked up a book from the library by an author I had read and enjoyed before. But this book wasn’t like the others which I had enjoyed. This one featured an anti-hero as he recovers his memories of doing horrible things during a time of war and upheaval. He remembers, and occasionally revels in the memories, of committing atrocities and brutalities. And despite my expectation and hope that the narrative would bring him to a point of decision and redemption…the protagonist remembers who he is and chooses, ultimately, to be that same person still and again, rejecting his chance to change himself for the better, and rejecting any sorrow at his actions.

I put it down and felt completely unprepared to take up my life with its small trials and start again. All day long I walked around in a funk, depressed by this portrait of sinfulness.

Now do I believe that there are people who choose sin over good and evil over redemption? Sure I do. Does it enrich my life or the lives of anyone around me to think about that at any length at all? Not in the least. So I stumbled around, rather soul-weary and numbed, for most of a day before I spotted my other purchase from the same sale – a copy of 5 Little Peppers and How They Grew that I bought thinking I would read it to my sons someday.

And it was balm to my sore soul and sweetness to my thoughts. I rose from the last chapter early this morning and set about my daily tasks with cheerfulness and peace. I smiled to myself spontaneously through the day as I remembered particular characters and lines and I wallowed in the feel, the atmosphere, the zeitgeist of the Peppers and their ‘little brown house’. All the damage that the first book did to my peace and my spirit, this subsequent book healed.

So this is what has been on my thoughts today, in reference to books and to communities, and these are the words I leave you with to end my (very long) post:

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Phillipians 4:8.

True. Noble. Right. Pure. Lovely. Admirable. Excellent. Praiseworthy.

Think about such things. Rest your mind in those things.

For what is true and good and beautiful is of God, and He is our destination, more Real than anything in this passing world.