Right living is an art. Those who have learned this art can construct a successful life in this world. Those who are oblivious to it have nothing but failure in store.
To put it briefly, this art can be described as ‘positive thinking; that is, keeping an open mind so that we can rise above the psychology of reaction or retaliation and plan objectively after arriving at rational conclusions. If positive thinking gives us the direction to use our intellectual capacity, negative thinking acts as a check upon developing that intellectual capacity. Those who tend towards negative thinking think and plan only under the influence of external situations, which may or may not be particularly good.
Humans are social beings. We cannot survive by ourselves. We need each other to sustain our needs. In one way or another, we are all indispensable to each other. In such a situation, reacting negatively is never beneficial. Success will come only to those who respond positively, even negatively.
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In moments of crisis, when the individual opts for the way of peace, he cultivates positive thinking. He raises his moral standards. He goes from strength to strength in the improvement of his own character. Indeed, he gives practical proof of his being a human being. On the contrary, when a man opts for the path of violence to solve his problems, he slides down the slippery slope toward perdition. He makes it all too clear that he is suspect as a human being.
Inclinations towards peace or violence serve as indicators of the true character of the human being. If the former proves the humanity of the individual, the latter proves his animality, despite his appearing to be a human being.
Peaceable behaviour is indicative of self-control. Self-control is undoubtedly a very great strength: it saves man from engaging in negative activities like violence. One who does not have the power of self-control will be enraged at times of provocation and will hurl himself into violent activities. Controlling one’s anger is the way of the peaceful person while losing one’s self-control when provoked is the way of the violent person.
Source: Spirit of Islam October 2018
My formula is, 'Save yourself.' This is the only formula and there is no other formula. This has been given in the Hadith, “Alaika nafsat.” (Baihaqi)
Source: The Seeker’s Guide
Positive thinking, the source of all kinds of good things, is the most important habit in a man or a woman. It ensures good health and a sound mind, enables you to plan competently, and helps you in crisis management. Indeed, positive thinking results in super achievement.
Positive thinking is the other name for natural thinking. Positive thinking cannot be acquired from the external world. It is your inner nature that provides a reservoir of positive thought. Preserve your inborn nature and you will surely emerge as a positive thinker. Every human being is born with great potential. Allow your potential to unfold and you will become a positive thinker in the perfect sense of the word.
The opposite of positive thinking is negative thinking. Positive thinking enhances the inner qualities of every human being, while negative thinking does the very opposite. Negative thinking can all too easily overwhelm one’s better self, therefore, a concerted effort is required to keep it at bay. If you want to live as a positive thinker, try to distance yourself from negative thoughts.
Source: Leading a Spiritual Life
The problem here is that we are living in society. Man is a social animal. He is bound to live in society. What is society? Society is a construct whereby human beings live in congregation for mutual benefit. But all of its members have their differences. Difference is a part of nature. Every man is born as Mr. Different and every woman is born as Ms. Different. Indeed, society is an amalgam of highly disparate elements.
It is this difference that creates problems. When you face a situation that is not in accordance with your desires, you become irritated. Then a chain reaction sets in—leading to anger, vengefulness, negative thinking, and violence. It is this phenomenon that prevents you from thinking positively.
To overcome this problem, one has to learn the art of remaining silent. When any negative thought comes to your mind, do not react. Say nothing. Make your mind empty for a moment. Then the whole matter will settle down. If someone makes a harsh remark about you, you should not take it seriously. Things not taken seriously do not become registered in the mind and thus do not continue to rankle.
Fortunately, nature is very helpful in this regard. Apart from other qualities, there is a unique quality in human nature, that is, the ability to cool down. The only condition is that we should give nature a chance. When we are faced with some unwanted situation, our powers of reasoning are generally swamped by a flood of negative thoughts. But if we can only keep quiet, the cooling down faculty of its own dispels the negativity. It changes the direction of the flood and within seconds, it is gone. Keep silent for thirty seconds. Everything will return to normal as if nothing at all had happened.
Source: Leading a Spiritual Life
