Hmmmm, I find I often have the opposite experience. My writing often causes me to suffer and experience profound pain, Shannon Ashley. I write almost exclusively about social justice issues, and positivity is often not a practical reality.
For example, in this piece, I write about LGBTQ people have just been put in the crosshairs of persecution in Texas, and about how the outcome is all but foregone.
In today’s piece, I write about how a very good friend of mine abandoned me because she values the homophobic Roman Catholic Church over me as a human being. This is a common problem that tons of us queer people live through. It’s important to write about. But there is precious little to be positive about.
The world is hard sometimes, and struggling for justice and equality doesn’t always (or maybe even often) engender happiness or positive vibes. Not to say that I DISAGREE with what you wrote. To the contrary, I hear you, I respect you, and I’m happy for you — in all sincerity.
I did feel the need to add, though, that writing doesn’t necessarily create happiness or positive feelings.
Writing often leaves me feeling profoundly sad.
