Think of good, not evil
Deeper than the "law of attraction," this contemplative principle helps to sustain inner peace in challenging times.
“Every minute you are thinking of evil you might have been thinking of good instead.” — The Letters of Evelyn Underhill1
I had a friend once who used to say, “Thoughts are things!” By this she meant that we should be mindful about what we choose to think about, for our thoughts are creative and therefore impact how our future will unfold. Think about peace or love, and you are helping to create a more peaceful or loving future. But on the other hand, if you think such things as fear or conflict or illness, then you run the risk of manifesting such undesirable qualities at some point in your tomorrows.
If you are familiar with New Thought spirituality, or with ideas like the “law of attraction” (popularized in the self-help movie and book The Secret), then you will recognize how this way of thinking has been around for some time. Indeed, New Thought religious groups like the Unity School of Christianity or the Church of Religious Science have existed since 1889 and 1926, respectively. The law of attraction is widely dismissed as lacking any basis in scientific evidence, but even so, books like The Secret have sold in the tens of millions of copies, suggesting that many people find its content compelling. The basic idea is that human beings create (or, at least, co-create) the circumstances of their future lives through not only the choices we make, but even the mere thoughts that shape their present awareness. For a positive future, think positive thoughts in the present.
Evelyn Underhill was not an adherent of New Thought ideas like the law of attraction, so when she counseled one of her directees to focus on thinking about “good” instead of “evil,” she wasn’t implying that such thoughts would materially impact the person’s future. Rather, she saw this as a question of general spiritual health. Thinking about evil can lead to fear, anxiety, discouragement, or even despair, whereas thoughts of good can help us to trust more in God, so as to feel inspired, encouraged, hopeful, and resilient.
I’m not sure that it is wise, or even possible, to insist that we should only think good thoughts, and never allow ourselves to reflect on evil. Sometimes we need to have a clear sense of how things really are, even if that means honestly acknowledging the challenges and problems that face us and our world today. But I think as a general principle, Underhill’s advice makes sense. Only meditate upon evil enough to have an accurate and honest assessment of the problems facing us and our world — but pair that would a committed way of thinking about goodness or “the good.” Committing to structure our consciousness around positive thinking is a way to ensure that our thoughts will lead us toward a better tomorrow — a tomorrow we do not control, but can trust, through the grace of the loving Divine.
Quoted in Margaret Cropper, The Life of Evelyn Underhill, Skylight Paths, Kindle Edition, location 805.