Negative Thinking Has Power

Writing in the Christian Century of January 5, Simeon Stylites sought to temper the enthusiasm for positive thinking, saying that when it “is identified with a psychological pep talk to oneself, the best things of life and of true growth of mind and heart are left out.” Rather than exuding superconfidence all the time, one might very well let a little modesty and humility seep through also, though any such display of self-depreciation might be viewed as negative thinking. The writer concludes his column with these words: “The power of negative thinking is beautifully and profoundly pictured in the words of the returning Prodigal to his father: ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no more worthy to be called your son.’ That is about as negative as a person can get. And such self-awareness and consciousness of failure is the gateway to power. Humility is the first step in learning. Such a feeling is very different from the kind of ‘positive thinking’ to which many today are painfully aspiring, the kind that says, ‘Watch me, boys! I’m going places.’ That mood may be the beginning of becoming a Big, Booming Success. It is not the door to the life which is Life indeed.”