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Cover of Night Vision: Seeing Ourselves through Dark Moods

Night Vision: Seeing Ourselves through Dark Moods

by Mariana Alessandri

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"The state of the world makes it difficult to look on the bright side. If there is a bright side perhaps it is that we have come to see the virtues of previously taboo emotions such as anger, sadness, anguish, anxiety, and grief. According to philosopher Mariana Alessandri, we're beginning to see that they are not evils to be avoided but valuable and sometimes even productive states. Many of us are coming to see that our darker feelings have something to teach us about ourselves, others, and what it is to be human. However, many of us don't know how to feel about what we're beginning to let ourselves feel. She asks: Is it (still) wrong for women to be angry? Is anxiety something we talk about openly now? Can we cry without apologizing yet?…

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"Using Plato’s allegory of “The Cave,” Mariana Alessandri explores our culture’s obsession with “toxic positivity” and our fear of darker emotions like grief, anxiety and depression. She argues that instead of scrambling out of these moods, we should examine them as an opportunity to better understand ourselves and those around us who are experiencing their own struggles. Instead of encouraging our loved ones to “stay positive,” maybe it’s worth sitting with someone in their darkness."
NPR Books We Love — 2023 · apps.npr.org