My comment: I do not know whether that stuff about religions is accurate or not. But I agree with the final message. Neither optimism, nor negative. Realistic thinking, give it a chance.
Peace and best wishes. Xi On Oct 17, 5:17 pm, "[EMAIL PROTECTED]" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-10/15/content_10199110.htm > > BEIJING, Oct. 15 -- Greed - and its crafty sibling, speculation - are > the designated culprits for the financial crisis. But another, much > admired, habit of mind should get its share of the blame: the > delusional optimism of mainstream, all-American, positive thinking. > > As promoted by Oprah Winfrey, scores of megachurch pastors and an > endless flow of self-help best sellers, the idea is to firmly believe > that you will get what you want, not only because it will make you > feel better to do so, but because "visualizing" something - ardently > and with concentration - actually makes it happen. You will be able to > pay that adjustable-rate mortgage or, at the other end of the > transaction, turn thousands of bad mortgages into giga-profits if only > you believe that you can. > > Positive thinking is endemic to the US culture - from weight loss > programs to cancer support groups - and in the last two decades it has > put down deep roots in the corporate world as well. Everyone knows > that you won't get a job paying more than $15 an hour unless you are a > "positive person", and no one becomes a chief executive by issuing > warnings of possible disaster. > > The tomes in airport bookstores' business sections warn against > "negativity" and advise the reader to be at all times upbeat, > optimistic, brimming with confidence. It's a message companies > relentlessly reinforced - treating their white-collar employees to > manic motivational speakers and revival-like motivational events, > while sending the top guys off to exotic locales to get pumped by the > likes of Tony Robbins and other success gurus. Those who failed to get > with the program would be subjected to personal "coaching" or shown > the door. > > The once-sober finance industry was not immune. On their websites, > motivational speakers proudly list companies like Lehman Brothers and > Merrill Lynch among their clients. What's more, for those at the very > top of the corporate hierarchy, all this positive thinking must not > have seemed delusional at all. > > With the rise in executive compensation, bosses could have almost > anything they wanted, just by expressing the desire. No one was > psychologically prepared for hard times when they hit. > > Americans did not start out as deluded optimists. The original > ethos, at least of white Protestant settlers and their descendants, > was a grim Calvinism that offered wealth only through hard work and > savings, and even then made no promises at all. > > Calvinists thought "negatively", as we would say today, carrying a > weight of guilt and foreboding that sometimes broke their spirits. It > was in response to this harsh attitude that positive thinking arose - > among mystics, lay healers and transcendentalists - in the 19th > century, with its crowd-pleasing message that God, or the universe, is > really on your side, that you can actually have whatever you want, if > the wanting is focused enough. > > When it comes to how we think, "negative" is not the only > alternative to "positive". As the case histories of depressives show, > consistent pessimism can be just as baseless and deluded as its > opposite. The alternative to both is realism - seeing the risks, > having the courage to bear bad news and being prepared for famine as > well as plenty. We ought to give it a try. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "World-thread" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/world-thread?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
