No it's not! A conversation about denial

Welcome back! I hope that you've had an exceptional summer break.

Sometimes it can seem easier to question or to deny reality even when the evidence is compelling, but why? Tonight we will be discussing the components of denial, it's link to positivity or negativity, and why it can be so seductive.

1. If someone has suffered trauma and has repressed it, but is otherwise functioning and objectively happy, what is the benefit to exposing and exploring that trauma?
2. Is "dark humour" just a means of denial? Why do we sometimes feel better when we laugh about tragedy or dark matters?
3. If our brain is a chemical soup and if that chemical balance is out of whack, how much does that affect our emotions, and our perception of the world around us?
4. Does denial run in families? How about happiness? Why or why not?
5. How much truth is there is the saying "misery loves company"? Why?
6. Why do we ignore facts even when we are are aware of the long-term consequences of ignoring them?
7. Is the consideration of your own mortality a big denial point for you? Why or why not?
8. Is it sometimes OK, or even advisable, to temporarily reside in the land of denial? Can it act as a form of self-protection if something is just too much to deal with at the time? Can it be about allowing yourself time to heal? Why or why not?
9. If something bad is completely beyond your power to change it, would you argue that permanent denial has no downside? Why or why not?
10. Can too much positive thinking prevent you from seeing inevitable obstacles or issues that need to be seen? Why or why not?
11. Is chemical dependency (to alcohol or drugs) be a form of denial? Why or why not?
12. If you feel that someone about whom you care is in denial about an important topic, would you attempt to persuade them to reconsider their position? If yes, why and how? If not, why not?
13. "You take the blue pill, the story ends. You wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes." - Discuss!
14. Would you personally rather take the "blue pill" (and live happily in denial) or the "red pill" (and live with the challenges of reality)? Why?
15. Does positive thinking lead to positive action? How about negative thinking? Why or why not?
16. Is positivity or negativity predominately nature or nurture? Can that be generalized across a population? Why or why not?
17. Does faith figure into denial? Why or why not?
18. Do you believe that people in different cultures are naturally more positive or negative? If yes, who and why? If not, why not?
19. Everyone is in denial about SOMETHING! Discuss!
20. Is "forgive and forget" a good policy? Is it necessary to "forget" in order to move on? Why or why not?
    =Bonus Questions!=
21. If you’ve really considered something a lot, is it necessary to continue to ponder it or does there come a point where you have “thought enough” and you can let it go and choose to be positive (or negative) about it? Why or why not?
22. Why can denial be such a seductive choice?
23. Is "but what about-ism" just another form of denial? Why or why not?
24. In the current political environment has denial been "weaponized"? If so, how and why? If not, how and why not?

I hope that you will join us for this discussion.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Given the success of this format we are going to be continuing to gather via Zoom. We will be allowing up to 30 participants for this meeting and, after a brief introduction, we will be splitting off into virtual "tables" of six.
As long as you have RSVP'd before 5:30PM on the day of the event you should receive an email from Robert prior to 6:30PM giving you the Zoom meetup credentials.
*** PLEASE NOTE ***
If you are a member of Table Conversations and you didn't receive an email announcing THIS Table Conversations meetup then you likely won't receive the email with the Zoom information on the evening of the event. Please confirm that your Meetup.com profile is configured correctly by carefully following the step-by-step instructions in this link: https://www.meetup.com/tableconversations/events/270360456/
Otherwise, since I don't control Meetup's mail system, if you are not receiving notifications please contact Meetup.com for assistance.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
* Room opens at 6:45PM (often earlier) for socialization
* Discussion starts at 7:15 and finishes at 8:45ish
* Keep talking until dawn!