Dear Editor,

The power of thoughts is the greatest power that has been bestowed on mankind. It is a God-given gift that can be used for good or evil. Human beings, therefore, have a clear choice. We can use our thoughts to promote goodwill and peace among our fellow humans, or we can use our thoughts to propagate evil deeds in this world.

Thoughts are therefore the genesis of good and evil. There is no doubt that today’s world is the product of our collective thinking. Once the thought process is set in motion every thought goes directly into our subconscious minds and subsequently emerges and finds expression in our actions. It goes without saying that if we want our actions to be noble and noteworthy we should first of all nurture healthy, positive thoughts.

The Bible states unequivocally: “As a man thinketh, so is he.” If we think in terms of failure, we will no doubt fail. But if we think in terms of success, we will no doubt succeed. In other words, our character is shaped by what we think.

Let us not forget that thought, word and deed are inextricably linked. There is no doubt that words are the expression of thoughts, and deeds or actions are the outward manifestation of thoughts and words combined. Thoughts are extremely contagious in that they can be transmitted to others and by so doing spread like wildfire. People who are selfish, evil and mean-spirited generally emit these thoughts to such an extent that they tend to perceive these negative thoughts in others. On the contrary, good-natured, altruistic, loving people generally tend to transmit these qualities into those with whom they come in contact. In other words, once we have cultivated wholesome thoughts in ourselves, we will invariably see wholesome qualities in others.

It is to be noted that the constant transmitting of evil, bitter and resentful thoughts can boomerang and seriously hurt the transmitter of these thoughts. People who are consumed with hatred and are bent on getting even with their compatriots are always unhappy and miserable. There is no doubt that this perpetual unhappiness and misery can have an injurious effect on their physical and mental health.

Consider the impact on world peace if millions of people around the world were to form a human chain of thought that transmits friendliness, calmness and serenity at the same moment in time. If this momentous event were to take place, there is no doubt that this coalescence of thought would probably change the bellicose nature of our human race.

Rupert Johnson

Ontario, Canada

r.b.johnson@sympatico.ca