THOUGHT AND PURPOSE
Until thought is linked with purpose there is no intelli-
gent accomplishment. With the majority the bark of thought is
allowed to "drift" upon the ocean of life. Aimlessness is a
vice, and such drifting must not continue for him who would
steer clear of catastrophe and destruction.
They who have no central purpose to their life fall an easy
prey to petty worries, fears?, troubles, and self-pityings, all
of which are indications of weakness, which lead, just as sure-
ly as deliberately planned sins (though by a different route),
to failure, unhappiness and loss, for weakness cannot persist
in a power-evolving universe.
A man should conceive of a legitimate purpose in his heart,
and set out to accomplish it. He should make this purpose the
centralizing point of his thoughts. It may take the form of a
spiritual ideal, or it may be a worldly object, according to
his nature at the time being; but whichever it is, he should
steadily focus his thought forces upon the object which he has
set before him. He should make this purpose his supreme duty,
and should devote himself to its attainment, not allowing his
thoughts to wander away into ephemeral fancies, longings, and
imaginings. This is the royal road to self-control and true
concentration of thought. Even if he fails again and again to
accomplish his purpose (as he necessarily must until weakness
is overcome), the strength of character gained will be the
measure of his true success, and this will form a new starting
point for future power and triumph.
Those who are not prepared for the apprehension of a great
purpose, should fix the thoughts upon the faultless performance
of their duty, no matter how insignificant their task may ap-
pear. Only in this way can the thoughts be gathered and fo-
cussed, and resolution and energy be developed, which being
done, there is nothing which may not be accomplished.
The weakest soul, knowing its own weakness, and believing
this truth--that strength can only be developed by effort and
practice, will, thus believing, at once begin to exert itself,
and, adding effort to effort, patience to patience, and strength
to strength, will never cease to develop, and will at last grow
divinely strong.
As the physically weak man can make himself strong by care-
ful and patient training, so the man of weak thoughts can make
them strong by exercising himself in right thinking.
To put away aimlessness and weakness, and to begin to think
with purpose, is to enter the ranks of those strong ones who
only recognize failure as one of the pathways to attainment;
who make all conditions serve them, and who think strongly,
attempt fearlessly, and accomplish masterfully.
Having conceived of his [or her] purpose, a man [or woman]
should mentally mark out a straight pathway to its achieve-
ment, looking neither to the right nor to the left. Doubts
fears should be rigorously excluded; the are disintegrating
elements which break up the straight line of effort, rendering
it crooked, ineffectual, useless. Thoughts of doubt and fear
never accomplish anything, and never can. They always lead
to failure. Purpose, energy, power to do, and all strong
thoughts cease when doubt and fear creep in.
The will to do springs from the knowledge that we can do.
Doubt and fear are the great enemies of knowledge, and he who
encourages them, who does not slay them, thwarts himself at
every step.
S/He who has conquered doubt and fear has conquered failure.
His or her every thought is allied with power, and all difficul-
ties are bravely met and wisely overcome. His purposes are sea-
sonably planted, and they bloom and bring forth fruit which does
not fall prematurely to the ground.
Thought allied fearlessly to purpose becomes creative force:
he who knows this is ready to become something higher and stron-
ger than a mere bundle of wavering thoughts and fluctuating sensa-
tions; he who does this has become the conscious and intelligent
wielder of his or her mental powers.
ΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝ * Footnotes / Questions * ΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝΝ
1. Do you agree with the author that doubt and fear never ac-
complish anything? Do you think there are any times when
doubt may be a useful thing?
2. He talks about how people with no central purpose fall easy
prey to worries and self-pityings, but he offers no sugges-
tion how to affect a central purpose. Do you have a central
purpose in your life? If so, how did you encounter this
purpose -- did you find it or did it find you? If not, do
you feel any the worse for not having some one single central
purpose in your life at this time?
3. What do you think the author means by a "power-evolving
universe"? Do you think the old saying, "Power corrupts;
absolute power corrupts absolutely," has any bearing here?
What kind of power do you think God is interested in our
really having here?
4. He claims that a man should not allow his thoughts "to wander
away into ephemeral fancies, longings and imaginings." How-
ever, it seems that much of art is predicated on imaginings,
or fancies or longings, especially music. (Especially music
in the Romantic style.) Do you think he is intentionally
demeaning the work of the artist, then? Or does he mean
something else entirely?
5. Adolf Hitler would seem to have been a man who extirpated
doubt and fear within himself when pursuing his totalitari-
anistic goals ... as well as extirpating a lot of other
things along the way. (5B). This chapter seems to have as much
fertilizer for the fruition of that kind of purpose as it
has food for righteous and loving purposes. Do it seem so
to you? If so, does it trouble you as much as it troubles me?