It happened long ago but whenever I think of that day, memories still flashed back vividly. My two friends and I were in a psychology class in the Arts building of the Rangoon Arts and Science University. Since it was during the first week of campus opening, students were attending different classes before they made their final choices. We were no exception. The big hall for the psychology class was really crowded and we barely squeezed ourselves in the last row. No soon had we settled in, the bell rang and a middle aged gentleman walked in on to the stage.
After making necessary greetings and introduction, the teacher took out one big white chart and showed it to the class. In the middle of the chart near the bottom, there was a small black dot. Holding up and showing the chart around, the teacher asked the class what they saw. “A black dot”, “a black dot”, the whole class shouted.
Then to everyone’s surprise, the teacher, with a big smile, said, “Why can’t everyone see the white part of the big chart? You only see the small black dot in the big white space”, Continuing, he said, “our human nature is like that. We tend to see the negative things more faster than the positive ones. In life, too, we tend to forget happy moments and joyful memories more easily than sorrowful events, unpleasant incidents and bleak days, It seems like pain and disappointment stay longer in our memory. Remember, life is a journey, full of ups and downs. None of us can change our yesterdays but all of us can change our tomorrows. Only you alone can shape your life. So be optimistic.”
These words stayed in my mind all the time, acting as guiding principles in walking along the life journey as I grew up and got more natured.
I tried to look up the words, ‘optimist and ‘optimism’ in the dictionary in no time and very soon I became familiar not only with the meanings of the two words, but also with other related inspirational writings and quotes that would undoubtedly offer tremendous assistance and the grit for everyone to pull through towards a meaningful and peaceful life.
An optimist tends to expect a favourable outcome and usually see things through the lens brightened by positivity with a greater chance to find much to be happy and appreciative about. On the other hand, a pessimist, most of the time, assumes the worst, probably with a tendency to “take the gloomiest possible view of a situation”. It’s like seeing the world through the lens this time, smudged by negativity. That’s why people say pessimists who see “glass as half-empty’, seem to more likely develop chronic illness in life. Actually pessimism breeds indecision; what’s more- with the negative outlook and perception, leads to failure to take action that might improve the situation.
I found two note-worthy statements in my collection of quotable quotes that seems relevant here:
“The greatest discovery of our generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind. As you think, shall you be”.
William James
“Choose the positive. You have a choice. You are the master of your attitude. Choose the positive, the constructive. Optimism is a faith that leads to success.”
Bruce Lee
Generally it is believed that life is a bed of roses for only those few lucky people born with silver spoons in their mouth. For the majority, life seems to be full of hurdles, inevitable with pain, sufferings, sorrow, sweat, blood, tears, anger, frustration and what not. The rich also experience pain, sorrow, disappointments etc., in their life time as human beings. Almost everyone has got life’s knock-down once in a while.
One of my senior mentors has advised me and my friends to take up our life-challenges like rain that gives us nourishment. He urged us that we can bloom by turning those life’s hard challenges into learning experiences from which we can all grow. The example he gave has been superb. It’s flower buds. They don’t resist the rain because mother matured has programmed them to take the nourishment-the rain-that will help them “un fold into the most beautiful blooms.”
Looking back over the years. I realized how true his words seem to be in looking life objectively. Our group of five loyal friends all managed to grow into responsible, reliable citizens as heads of various departments. When we met occasionally, we talked about our teacher whose motto we have strictly followed. “Life is short and time spent brooding over some bad events guarantees nothing. So get up and start moving forward.”
We all got to learn that the key to remain cheerful is to live in the present, not recalling bitter past events.
To those young people who will become leaders of tomorrow I’d like to remind them that failure is not falling down but refusing to get up and get going, keeping in mind the value of adaptability or flexibility a personal quality to be able to change as circumstances call for. Nothing is permanent in life. Everything will pass and everyone needs some kind of willingness to let go so that he or she would not be stuck in his or her own desires and environment, frustrated or alienated.
