We often feel we are living in a world where little seems to be going right. Whether it is global politics, climate change, harsh economic realities or recovering from the experiences of the pandemic, we seem to be surrounded by confusion, uncertainty and panic.
Even at a personal level, families and individuals are struggling with the after effects of working from home, home schooling, job losses and fears for the future. How do we overcome all this, or learn to handle all these problems?
Luckily, there are experts out there who are equipped to guide us through life’s biggest challenges.
Learning to take their help will not only guide us into coping with our fears but also tell us that we are not the only ones struggling, we are not alone.
It may be hard to focus our mind on positive thinking but it is very important to do so. There are books which use every trick in the trade to get us to think positively — be it humour, sarcasm, inspiration or a bit of tough love.
Beginning with Norman Vincent Peale’s ‘The power of positive thinking’, the motivation industry has multiplied and made its home in every sector — the corporate world, health, education and the creative arts.
Following Dale Carnegie’s series which includes ‘How to stop worrying and start living’, self-help and self-care books are front and centre at every bookshop in the world — perhaps a worrying trend that so many readers seem to go straight towards them.
Positive thinking comes in different forms. There is the spiritual kind promoted by authors and alternative-health proponents like Deepak Chopra with his famous book ‘The seven spiritual laws of success’ or Jay Shetty’s ‘Think like a monk’.
There is also the more macro picture painted by Rutger Brugman in ‘Humankind: A hopeful history’ which shows how, inspite of common perceptions that the history is seen as a long tale of war and power, the story of humans is actually that of sharing and that people are actually wired for kindness, not cruelty. That is a much needed reminder in our times.
Fiction can be motivating and inspirational too. Paulo Coelho’s ‘The Alchemist’ and ‘The Zahir’, Elizabeth Gilber’s ‘Eat, pray, love’ and Neil Pasricha ‘The happiness equation’ all approach the goal of happiness from unique perspectives ranging from spiritual quests to hands-on experimentation.
Biographies like the Dalai Lama’s ‘The art of happiness’ or that of Steve Jobs by Walter Issacson give refreshing moments of clear and crisp insights into what makes these persons the celebrities that they are.
Women writers have explored the challenges of performing multiple roles. Michelle Obama’s ‘Becoming’, Oprah Winfrey’s ‘What I know for sure’ and Sudha Murthy’s ‘Wise and otherwise’ all show how women overcome the obstacles of their lives to make meaning and find value in helping others find happiness through service.
Being surrounded by books of hope and happiness can ensure that we stay reminded of Hamlet’s saying that ‘there is nothing good or bad but thinking makes it so’.
The world may not always stay cheerful and hopeful but the human mind can train itself to see the best in all situations, and that is a much desired gift.
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