Website owner:  James Miller

It is better to ignore some kinds of truth

   There are some kinds of fact, some kinds of truth, that it is 
   better to ignore, to not know, to not think about.  For 
   example, in the work-world life can be very cruel.  Some 
   bosses, it is true, can be very ruthless, heartless and hard; 
   can view their workers not as human beings but as things to be 
   used and thrown away when they are no longer profitable.  
   Wherever there is organization, wherever you have one person 
   over another, there is the possibility of unfairness, 
   injustice, cruelty and personal tragedy.  But it is better for 
   a worker never to think about such possibilities.  It is indeed 
   very dangerous for him to let his mind dwell on such dismal 
   possibilities.  It is much better for him to just trust, 
   believe and assume the best --- to have faith in God and in 
   people.  Why?  Because by letting your mind dwell on such 
   dismal, negative thoughts as these (even though they may be 
   very realistic and honest possibilities, even though they may 
   be true, the world may be quite as bad as you say), you do 
   something to yourself that almost insures your own downfall and 
   destruction.  What do such thoughts do to you?  They make you 
   afraid.  They make fear a way of thinking, feeling and 
   responding to life and people.  They destroy self-confidence.  
   They make you unhappy, angry and bitter towards life and 
   people.  They make you dislike and hate people.  They make you 
   confused, frustrated, fearful and shy.  And what do lack of 
   confidence, fear, distrust, anger, confusion and frustration do 
   to you?  They degrade your performance on your job, make people 
   dislike you, and promote your own downfall and failure.  Thus, 
   whereas the dismal possibilities that you have been dwelling on 
   may have been very remote and unlikely to start with they are 
   actually brought to reality by yourself, by your own thought.  
   In most jobs the most important thing a person can have is a 
   confident and happy spirit.  When he loses that he immediately 
   has several strikes against him and the sledding becomes much 
   rougher.  What is more, when he gets people disliking him 
   injustices accumulate and his mind tends toward such 
   pessimistic and negative thoughts with even more cause.  And we 
   have a vicious circle in operation which causes the situation 
   to keep degrading more and more. 

   In our modern society, in literature, on TV, etc. much is made 
   of Realism.  Life is depicted as stark, ugly, cold and cruel.  
   Realism in literature and drama is viewed as good and 
   praiseworthy.  Is it?  Is it healthy?  Does it not do just what 
   we have mentioned above --- create fear, anger, and lack of 
   confidence?  Doesn't it shape attitudes and outlooks of 
   pessimism, cynicism, distrust, dislike of people, etc.?  And if 
   it does this to adults what does it do to children (with their 
   impressionable minds)?  Doesn't TV cause people to think 
   certain ways, to expect certain things from people and life (in 
   general, all negative, pessimistic things)?  Might not this 
   have a lot to do with many of the problems of this country 
   (i.e. high rates of divorce, crime, alcoholism, etc.)? 

   Mar 1978