LOL, oh wow. So true. "positive thinking" or "positive affirmations" is literally self-hypnosis. This is why it's so challenging to talk about meditation because people think about it as "metaphysical" or "spiritual" replacing one belief system for another. Ugh.
Good analogy. Tell a starving child they need to think positively to manifest their desired food. Spiritual my ass.
Yes, you so get it!! We need positive action mixed with positive, confident thoughts. Avoiding problems does not make it go away no matter what the spiritual guru's say!