Posted
May 31, 2015
I
read in several places that “What you think upon grows” is a bit
of Eastern philosophy, and perhaps it is – although not necessarily
in those exact words. I did some research and couldn't find anything
quite like this in the sayings of Confucius or Buddha.
It's
not the same as the Eastern belief in karma – a sort of “what
goes around comes around” – the idea that the sum total of a
person's actions in a previous life decided his or her fate in this
life, and that the sum total of a person's actions in this life will
decide his or her fate in the next life. Note: There is no evidence
for karma, nor for any earlier or “next life.”
The
closest I could come to “What you think upon grows” is the old
Cherokee story:
The Cherokee nation is not what I think of when I hear “Eastern”—I think of Chinese or at least Indian peoples and philosophies.
Still, I live in California, and the Cherokee certainly did and do
live east of me!
Another
instance of the idea of thinking positive thoughts is from the Bible,
apparently written by the apostle Paul: “...whatever
is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent
or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
– Philippians
4:8
The
idea is, if you dwell on why you are angry at a person, how you can
get revenge on someone who wronged you, how mean someone is, or how
bitter you are that someone else got the position that you
wanted...
Well,
those negative thoughts can spiral you down more and more. You will
get angrier and angrier, or more vengeful or bitter. Possibly your
anger and envy will consume you!
 |
| Actually, when you smile, changes happen in your brain, and you WILL start to feel better! |
Instead,
you should try to climb on an upward spiral. Try to think the best of
someone who hurt you – try to meet unkindness with kindness – try
to find a silver lining to a bad situation. Sometimes, when you try
to be more positive, you can get back a smile, a kind word, something
that can make you feel more positive. And when you feel a bit better,
you can act even more positive, and gain even nice, more positive
responses from others...and on and on, in an upward spiral.
The
date for “What You Think Upon Grows” Day is the birthday of
minister and author Norman Vincent Peale, who was born on this date
in 1898. He is famous for writing The Power of Positive Thinking.
Warning:
The reality is that Peale's idea of the brain is overly simplistic,
and some people may have been harmed by the advice in his book. Also,
over-emphasis on positive thinking and optimism can be harmful to
people who are feeling down, because they often feel guilty
about feeling negative, which of course brings them down even
further. People can't always just think their way into a more
positive state of mind!
What
do you think about the maxim “What you think upon grows”?
Also
on this date:
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ahead:
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Thank you for researching the phrase. I was also trying to identify its origin, but was not successful either. I am glad there is someone else that has been curious about it.
ReplyDeleteI have learned about the origin of the day celebrating the maxim and Peale. Thanks for that also.
I wonder what makes you say that Peale was wrong about the brain.
On the issue of positive thinking being harmful... I would tentatively say that there are many wonderful things that can cause pain and even death. This doesn't diminish their beauty and truthfulness, however sad their impact on us might be. Our response to them is part of our learning, both in this life and in the life that follows.
Peace be with you