WHY ARE YE FEARFUL?

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 05, Issue 58, 27 May 1942, Page 2

WHY ARE YE FEARFUL?

YOUR HOUSE OF DREAMS By Laurence Hope. Some people have accused me of wishful thinking. "You seem to live in a world, of dreams, - ' writes one. correspondent. Well, of course, up to a point he's right. But don't we all Hac in a world of dreams.? '! lie real !i 1 e is in the mind, and it is the mental pielure we conjure up which governs cur outlook. And that picture is something of our own making. We can use bright colours or drab ones, just as Ave choose,. !. am quite alive to realities. I don't shut my eyes to facts. 1 knowthings are black. But the darkest night has its! star. I prefer to look out through the darkness, Availing hope I'll 1 ly—and confidently—for the dawn. There are still so many beautiful things left in life, if we only look for them. The beauties of nature, spread around with such lavish hand in this Austialia of ours; the beautyl of friendship, loa'c, children, faith, kindness. When the testing time comes Ave shall find a iicav beauty in the courageous comradeship Ave shall show in the face of danger and suffering and. adversity. You know, trouble brings us closer together. I knew an old lady who became bedridden after many years of hardship,—borne braA'elv and Avithout ccmplaint. In her helplessness she found people ready and Avilling to help her. "I never knew Avhat friendship was —until 1 really needed it," she said. Wishbone —Plus Backbone So, in my wishful thinking and in my; Avorld of dreams, i' look around first at the lovely things of life, and plant them in glowing colours on the canvas of my mind; and the picture becomes so crowded Avith beauty that I no room to use gloomy colours to paint in the dismal things that some people seem to think I ought to see first. So I lea A re them out. We can all that —and avc shall be much happier if Ave do. To look on the loA'ely things does not mean that we are trying to shirk real'.ty by living in a fool's paradise. But avc do not improve matters by whining and grumbling, by! telling ourselves things are hopeless by foreseeing disaster. That line of thought helps tC' create the very thing it fears. And we do fortify ourselves against possible disaster by cultivating the habit of cheerful thought, excluding dismal forebodings, and definitely fixing our minds on our blessings; instead of our aa'ocs. We can fight them —when tlie trouble 'does come. When all the strings: save one, in your harp of life are broken, don't worry about those that are gone; strike a note of thanksgiving on the one you haA r e left. Y r ou can march to one harp string just as you can march to the beat of a drum. Some people can never be happy. I knew a man once Avho Avon £25,000 in a law case. I called to congratulate him, expecting to find him in high spirits. He was' terribly depressed because that A'ery day he had lost his umbrella! And so Ave come to wishful thinking. I'm all in favour of thatDon't misunderstand me. I don't mean, wishing as a substitute for effort. Nor do I desire the power to make ail our Avishes come true. We could not be trusted Avith that power. Most of us Avould not knoAA" Avhat to wish for, and many would Avish for the Avrong things. But a Avisli can be translated into will—and Avherc there's a will there's a way. To wish a thing, provided it is a sensible Avish, and not a mere crying for the moon, is half-Avay towards attaining it—particularly if you bring backbone to the support of your Avishbone. There was a deal of sense in the popular song, '"Wishing Will Make ft so." It was Temple Thurston, the novelist, Avho first described a Avish as "a prayer Avith its eyes open." To me that is a lovely thought, beautifully ex pressed. But a prayer needs faith to make it work; a wish inieds will. Let us go on Avith our Avishful thinking—our daylight prayers. Honest Wishing Helps Even if your wish doesn't come true—and, remember, it may nol be good for you—a sensible, sincere, honest wish will be a moral .stimulus. ft will help you. You will be all the better for having Avished it. Just as surely as a foul, eA'il Avish will hurt your mind and react to your harm. Do you mean to tell me that all the good wishes handed around at Christmas time and the New Year are wasted? Do you mean toi tell me they don't do any good? Then why

do yon bother Avith them? Do you mean to tell me that when, in all sincerity, you Avish someone a Happy New Year —and really mean it—the person receiving that wish does not benefit? When a trusted friend grasps your hand and says: "I Avish yoii every good," do you mean to tell' me you are not uplifted and strengthened and encouraged? About Day Dreams (Joed cost nothing; and if they are flippant and just a matter of form, they mean nothing an:! can. aehieA'e nothing. But if they are honest and sincere they can work miracles. Even in these enlightened days people little understand the power of mind, the immense force of thought. The House of Dreams? Yes, I am not ashamed to live in my House of Dreams. Because, Avhether you realise it or not, Ave all do. And I build my house of happyi dreams—there's not a nightmare rafter in it. Yet, to be of practical service, we must bring to our dreams the touchstone of common sense. "If you can dream," as- Kipling says, "and noi make dreams your master ..." We must not let dreams take the place of action, but rather inspire it. Prentice Mulford, the great American psychologist, wrote: "A daydream, a reverie, is an outflow of force, working results. As Ave think, imagine, or dream, so can we store up goldi or gunpowder." By gold, he meant good. We must dream good dreams. Wishes, dreams, thought—motived by faith and prayer. Happy thoughts: Courage, loa'c, joy, faith, an, undying belief in the eternal good Avliich shall neA'cr be A'anquished.