28/04/2021
Some people, especially what we read or see in the media, feel that things could not have been worse. We read every day of the gloom, the economic problems, the pandemic & the bleak future we are going to be facing.
We have also read about the great achievements, the scientific breakthroughs, the technological innovations and inventions, the great stories of faith and the miracles which happen every day.
The world goes on, life goes on, don’t be bothered by all of the above, have faith, faith in God and belief in yourselves, the world will take care of itself.
Just to illustrate, here is some bad news I recently read in a magazine:
_“It is a gloomy moment in the history of our country. Not in the lifetime of most men has there been born so much grave and deep apprehension; never has the future seemed so incalculable as at this time. The domestic economic situation is in chaos. Our currency is weak throughout the world. Prices are so high as to be utterly impossible. The political cauldron seethes and bubbles with uncertainty. It is a solemn moment of our troubles. No man can see the end.”_
I suppose some might agree that this is a fairly accurate picture of today. However, the above story was first published in Harper’s Weekly in October 1857. It’s a wonder the world and especially America where this story was published has survived all this bad news and more for so many years!
Our ancestors, I believe, were tougher than we are. They had substantial faith and were able to separate the temporary from the eternal. As thinkers, they knew that humanity goes forward by difficulty, pain and suffering. But they also knew that if you stick it out, if you keep your faith in God, if you do your part as a citizen and as a good person no matter how many dark clouds may appear, the sun will shine again.
The above text is an extract from “The power of positive thinking” by Norman Vincent Peale, written more than 50 years ago, which I read again and again whenever I feel that things are getting too gloomy. Very apt advice, isn’t it?
So, let us be rid of those tired and gloomy thoughts and come alive. Get the pollution of negative thinking out of your mind. The world is good. People are good. The future is good. Of course, that is not to say there is no bad news along with it. But humanity has gone forward by overcoming bad news.
This too shall pass,
Live your life, be positive, be an encourager, there are enough critics and negative thinkers already in this world!
Stay Blessed Forever.