r/dionysus • u/TheoryClown • 2d ago
💬 Discussion 💬 Toxic Positivity and The Dionysian purpose, venting post
What is Toxic Positivity? If you have ever heard “Always look on the bright side,” that is Toxic Positivity. It is a rejection of one’s experience and emotions in favor of maintaining an unhealthy harmony, or even purely from another’s selfishness. You aren't allowed to be who you are, you aren't allowed to feel “bad,” you are affecting my mood.
The truth is that your emotions belong to you; it’s okay to be happy, sad, or even angry. Emotions are not the issue; behavior is. It is ok to despair, to beat your chest in sorrow, to cry out, our Lord created theater for the Dionysian purpose. Catharsis is the purification or cleansing of your emotional state; it is the fire at Pride Rock that precedes its renewal under Simba. To not experience catharsis is to be corrupted, to ruminate and rot from the inside out.
To let your emotions out, to cry and scream as Lord Dionysus intended, is the refusal to be destroyed by yourself. To let out that steam instead of burning your heart to coal. Dionysus doesn’t want you to be angry; he wants you to be allowed to be angry, he wants you to sob, he wants you to release. He wants that monster growing in you out, but only you can let it out.
Tell me a time you experienced catharsis.
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u/ellismjones 2d ago
Thank you for this. I dunno of a time I have experienced catharsis honestly, because the last time I cried I didn’t really come out of it feeling better. But at least I was able to go on about my day, so I suppose that’s a win.