RIGHT THINKING

First Point: Life as an Art

Life is an art. Only those who understand this art can live a successful life in this world. Those unaware of this art are doomed to fail. This art can be summed up in one word: positive thinking. That is, one must rise above a reaction-based mindset, think with an open and deconditioned mind, form opinions without emotional clouding, and plan one’s life accordingly, based on reality.

Negative thinking contrasts with positive thinking. Positive thinking means bringing one’s intellectual abilities into action. Negative thinking, on the other hand, is when a person’s intellectual capacity does not develop; instead, he thinks only under the influence of external circumstances and shapes his thoughts and opinions accordingly.

From this perspective, the whole affair of life ultimately comes down to whether one thinks rightly or wrongly. Right thinking leads to  success, while wrong thinking results in failure. This concept applies to both individuals and nations.

If a person keeps an open mind, discovering the right way of thinking is not difficult. One’s own nature guides them toward it. The signs scattered throughout the universe teach them this very lesson. The experiences of history reinforce it. Every field of knowledge points them toward right thinking. In such a situation, only those remain deprived of right thinking who have eyes yet do not see, who have ears yet do not hear, and who have an intellect yet refuse to understand.

Second Point: Humans as Thinking Beings

It is said that a human being is a thinking being. This is true because all human actions rely on their thoughts. A person thinks first, then acts. If the thought is correct, the action will also be correct. If the thought is wrong, the action will be wrong from beginning to end. Correct thinking results in making a correct start, and a correct start leads to a correct outcome.

When an apple or any fruit falls from its branch, it always lands on the ground. This has been happening for thousands of years, but people saw it as a normal event. They believed there was no need to question it since what was happening was natural.

Isaac Newton (1643-1727) was probably the first person to wonder why an apple falls from its branch. A unique thought occurred to him: Why does the apple fall downward instead of upward? This idea led Newton to discover that the Earth has a gravitational pull. That’s why objects always fall downward and never rise upward.

Similarly, for thousands of years, humans believed the Earth was flat like a plain field. This idea seemed correct based on what they could see, so it was accepted as fact.

Once, a thoughtful man stood on the shore by the sea. The sea seemed to stretch to the horizon. Suddenly, he saw a mark appear on the far end of the sea. It was the mast of a ship. Slowly, the mast rose until the entire ship became visible on the surface of the water.

The man started to think about why this happened. If the Earth were flat, the ship would be visible all at once from a distance and up close, with the only difference being that it would look hazy from far away and clear up close. But as it actually happened, the ship appeared partially first, and then slowly the whole ship became visible. This made the man realize that the Earth has curvature, meaning it is not flat like a board but round like a ball. As the ship rose with the curvature of the Earth, it eventually became fully visible.

This highlights the importance of thinking in life. The truth is that all new discoveries are made through thinking. Planning is possible through thinking. Failures can be turned into successes through thinking. It is through thinking that a person can reflect on the past and present to create a better plan for the future.

Third Point: Ignore the Problem

Conflicts have always been part of human society. However, they are not inevitable. It is up to each person to decide whether to engage in conflicts or avoid them. This principle applies to individuals, nations, and governments alike.

I know the story of a man who went into business and became quite successful. A relative of his, who started his business at the same time, failed in his venture and became envious of the successful trader. Someone informed the successful trader that his envious relative was speaking badly about him. The businessman chose not to respond. This informant repeated his news several times. Finally, he said, “I keep telling you that your relative is spreading bad things about you, but you never respond.” The trader calmly replied, “That is his problem, not mine.”

The trader listened to the remarks and chose to dismiss his envious relative’s words, preventing the situation from escalating. The matter ended there—with mere words. Had he reacted in anger, however, it would have sparked a conflict that could have consumed them both.

Fourth Point: Avoid Negative Reactions

An incident occurred in pre-1947 India from which we can learn an important lesson. In a village, there were two landlords. One was religious and had a beard, while the other was clean-shaven. The clean-shaven landlord sent a gift of sweets to the bearded landlord, who returned it, saying he does not accept gifts from clean-shaven people. The clean-shaven landlord could not tolerate this and felt deeply insulted. A strong desire for revenge grew within him, leading to a long-lasting conflict. They engaged in destructive acts against each other, such as destroying crops, committing murders, filing lawsuits, and spreading rumours. This negative cycle continued for 25 years until both families were financially ruined and could no longer continue their feud.

Most conflicts in human society begin with words. People respond with anger to opposing views, and this reaction sets in motion a cycle of retaliation that ultimately leads to the painful outcomes we recognise as conflict. Negative actions are almost always born from negative thinking. The real solution is to maintain a positive mindset, even in difficult circumstances, and to respond constructively to negative behaviour.

A simple principle can prevent many problems: whenever you hear something unpleasant, do not react; pause and ask yourself whether it is merely a harsh word or an actual threat. If there is a genuine risk, take measured steps to deal with it. If not, simply ignore it.

Fifth Point: Overlook Imaginary Threats

An interesting example in this context is that of the British when they entered Iraq in the 19th century and captured Baghdad in 1917. Following this, a British councillor was stationed there. When the British councillor first arrived in Baghdad, he noticed a loud noise outside his residence in the morning. He immediately called his local secretary and asked what the noise was. The secretary explained that it was the time for the Muslim morning prayer, and the call to prayer (Adhan) was being given in the mosques. The councillor then asked if this posed any threat to the British Empire. The secretary assured him that it did not. The councillor then said, “Let them do what they are doing.”

This is a solid policy when dealing with disagreements. If someone presents a real threat to you, definitely confront them and try to stop them.

But if it’s only a matter of words, even if your feelings are deeply hurt, ignore it. Hurt feelings don’t cause real harm; they are just imaginary concerns, and acting on an imaginary issue isn’t the sign of a wise person.

Sixth Point: Respond Positively

In the present world, no one lives in isolation. Everyone has to coexist with many others, just like on the road where everyone drives among many vehicles. In such a situation, a policy of reaction is never beneficial. Success can be said to be assured for those who know how to respond positively to negative situations.

An interesting example of this is when Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902) was tested by a Christian friend. The friend invited Swami Ji to his home. In the meeting room, there was a table on which the friend had placed the holy books of every religion, one on top of the other. At the bottom was the Hindu religious book, the Gita, with the sacred texts of other religions placed above it. When Swami Ji arrived, the Christian friend pointed to the table and asked him to comment on the arrangement. The friend expected Swami Ji to be upset by seeing his religion’s book at the bottom and the other religions’ books placed above it, which appeared to honour the other religions more. However, Swami Ji did not get angry. He approached the situation calmly and responded positively to a negative setup. He smiled at the books and said, “The foundation is really good.”

This incident further demonstrates that staying calm and balanced helps a person turn enemies into friends and transform an unfavourable situation into a favourable one.

From these few examples, it becomes clear how vital the thinking process is. The truth is that every success and failure in human life is determined by one’s thoughts. A successful life corresponds with higher thinking. If you want to succeed in life, nurture right thinking within yourself. Right thinking leads to right actions, and correct actions lead to success.

Seventh Point: Avoid Dichotomous Thinking

An example of faulty thinking is what can be called “dichotomous thinking,” which involves only considering two options in a situation, even when a third, better choice exists.

For example, if someone insults you and damages your dignity, people usually can’t tolerate it and become angry, confronting the other person. They see tolerating the insult as being cowardly, and confronting it as a brave act. Because bravery appears better than cowardice, they turn away from what they see as cowardice and choose what they believe is a brave response.

But this is an error in thinking. In reality, there is a third possible approach that they overlook. This means not wasting time getting provoked and fighting, but instead maintaining a positive course of action. This third approach is captured in the famous saying, “The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.”

This isn’t just a moral statement but a crucial truth about life.

This world is full of different kinds of people, which often leads to unpleasant experiences. In such situations, if someone reacts angrily to every bad moment and gets provoked by every irritation, they won’t accomplish anything meaningful. They will waste their time and energy fighting others. The right way is to focus their strength and abilities on positive growth and progress.

In this world, a person has very little time and limited resources. Because of this, no one can afford to keep chasing others to teach them lessons or seek revenge. The cost of this approach is the suspension of their own progress and growth.

Eighth Point: Principle of Adjustment

Humans are naturally idealistic. They always seek the highest standards and aim to do their best in everything. This kind of idealism may seem perfectly fine in theory but can lead to real problems in practice.

The reason is that no one lives alone in this world. Everyone has to live with others. Each person has their own interests, conveniences, and views on benefit and loss. This situation makes it impossible for everyone to pursue high standards. Therefore, the only practical solution is to learn to adapt with others.

The reality is that today, the choice isn’t between good and evil but between the lesser evil and the greater evil. A sensible approach or correct thinking is, when facing a situation, to avoid the greater evil and settle for the lesser evil.

Ninth Point: The Art of Differentiation

An important part of thinking is learning the art of differentiation, that is the difference between one thing and another. Many things in the world look similar but are actually different. Not understanding these differences can sometimes cause big losses.

For example, one person has a job, and another is a businessman. The salary the employee receives at the end of the month is entirely their income. If they spend the whole amount, it won’t harm their job. However, if a businessman spends all the money that comes in each month on personal needs and does so every month, their business will fail, and they will go bankrupt. This is because only about ten percent of the money the businessman receives is their actual income, while the rest belongs to the market and must be returned to others. Therefore, it’s important to understand the difference between having a job and running a business; otherwise, you could face serious losses.

This principle applies to most areas of life. Whenever a situation occurs, one should avoid forming an unrealistic opinion based on superficial or partial similarities. Instead, they should understand the differences between two things and base their opinion on that. A person who doesn’t understand this wisdom is like a driver who can’t tell the difference between an empty road and a crowded one and drives the same way in both.

Tenth Point: The Art of Learning

Another key principle here is to train the mind to learn lessons from surrounding events.

The habit of learning lessons not only promotes mental growth but also shields one from unnecessary harm. A young man opened a shop in the city. After some time, a theft happened. An elder asked the young man for details, and he explained that he had no experience and had installed a simple lock on the shop. The lock could be easily opened, so someone came at night, opened it, and stole goods quietly.

The elder said that there is no need to learn this through personal experience. Ample evidence from hundreds of people shows that a strong lock should be installed on the shop. Using a simple lock is like inviting thieves to steal.

Our world offers plenty of lessons and learnings. Everywhere, there is something from which a person can learn useful lessons and improve their life. The only requirement is to observe things with open eyes and reflect on them with an open mind.