Feeling Pronoid

I was reading a psychology journal that spoke about a disorder called “pronoia.” It’s the opposite of paranoia and is characterized by the belief that the world is conspiring to help you.

People with pronoia may believe that others think well of them, that their actions are appreciated, and that acquaintances are close friends. They may also interpret politeness and pleasantries as signs of deep attachment and future support. I was left wondering, what is disorderly about that mindset?

If we really believe that no matter what happens, everything that occurs is for our collective best interest— everything and every one becomes a blessing, a valuable lesson or a catalyst to make positive change. I think where it gets into the “disorderly” part is if we allow ourselves or others to be abused or manipulated by others again and again. Or if we lack the self-awareness to notice when our actions are unhelpful or harmful. It seems complacency and lack of self-reflection are more like the disorders than a pronoid mindset.

I’ve had enough experiences that tell me some people are hurting too much to be able to really be looking out for my best interest. But I do believe that for the most part when I see and acknowledge the good in others, that’s the part they choose to keep showing me. When I’m unsure of my path forward and feeling frustrated and/or anxious, the mantra I repeat is: “Every thing that's happening is meant to be. All is well and all will be well.” I say it enough times until the words blanket me with comfort.

When it comes to the intense suffering of others or the planet, it’s harder for me to conjure that outlook. It feels wrong for me to tell myself “all is right with the world” when there is war on every continent. When there are people who are sick, starving, enslaved, living in terror. When Mother Earth and her creatures are polluted and harmed.

But what if experiencing and witnessing suffering is meant to be a catalyst and calling for each one of us to do our part to heal and transform the world into a place of peace and unity? What if all the pain we’ve gone through or witnessed gave us the insight to be more compassionate, more supportive, more creative, more resilient?

What if pronoia wasn’t a disorder at all but really a super power that enables us to transmute hardships into hardiness, chaos into calm, pandemonium into peace? Who knows? But I bet if we all adopted more of this perspective, life would be a hell of a lot more pleasant for all of us.

So I will plant that seed and watch it grow. Here’s to us all exchanging our paranoia for some well-measured pronoia and here’s to the universe conspiring to help us all!