As a Man Thinketh Chapter 2a

As a Man Thinketh Chapter 2a

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Welcome back to The Daily Mastermind. My name’s George Wright III with your daily dose of inspiration, motivation, and education so that you can create your ultimate destiny.

Today we're gonna continue our series of reading As a Man Thinketh with Chapter Two. Chapter Two, the Effect of Thought on Circumstances.

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The Effect of Thought on Circumstances

Man's mind may be likened to a garden which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild. But whether cultivated or neglected, it must and will bring forth. If no useful seeds are put into it, then an abundance of useless weed seeds will fall therein and will continue to produce their kind.

Just as a gardener cultivates his plot, keeping it free from weeds and growing the flowers and fruit which he requires, so may a man tend the garden of his mind—weeding out all the wrong, useless, and impure thoughts and cultivating towards perfection the flowers and fruits of right, useful, and pure thoughts.

By pursuing this process, a man sooner or later discovers that he is the master gardener of his soul, the director of his life. He also reveals within himself the laws of thought and understands with ever-increasing accuracy how the thought forces and mind elements operate in the shaping of his character, circumstances, and destiny. Thought and character are one, and his character can only manifest and discover itself through environment and circumstance.

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Thoughts Shape Circumstances

The outer condition of a person's life will always be found to be harmoniously related to his inner state. This does not mean that a man's circumstances at any given time are an indication of his entire character, but that those circumstances are so intimately connected with some vital thought element within himself that for the time being, they’re indispensable to his development.

Every man is where he is by law of his being. The thoughts which he has built into his character have brought him there, and in the arrangement of his life, there is no element of chance, but all is the result of a law which cannot err. This is just as true of those who feel out of harmony with their surroundings as of those who are content with them.

As a progressive and evolving being, man is where he is that he may learn, that he may grow, and as he learns the spiritual lessons which any circumstance contains for him, it passes away and gives place to other circumstances.

A man is buffeted by circumstances so long as he believes himself to be the creature of outside conditions. But when he realizes that he is a creative power and that he may command the hidden soil and seeds of his being, out of which circumstances grow, he then becomes the rightful master of himself.

That circumstances grow out of thought is an eternal truth.

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The Power of Self-Control and Purification

Every man knows, who has for any length of time practiced self-control and self-purification, that the alteration in his circumstances has been in exact ratio with his altered mental condition. So true is this, that when a man earnestly applies himself to remedy the defects in his character and makes swift and marked progress, he passes rapidly through a succession of outer conditions that reflect that inner change.

When a man consciously cultivates discipline and replaces unproductive habits with virtuous ones, his circumstances evolve in harmony with his growth. Each adjustment within his inner world manifests outwardly, creating opportunities, blessings, or challenges appropriate to his current level of awareness.

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The Soul’s Aspirations and Fears

The soul attracts that which it secretly harbors, that which it loves, and also that which it fears. It reaches the height of its cherished aspirations and falls to the level of its unchastened desires. Circumstances are the means by which the soul receives its own, and nothing comes to a person by chance.

A man’s environment and experiences are mirrors, reflecting back his innermost longings or deepest anxieties. If he carries noble aspirations, he finds himself elevated to environments and conditions that nurture growth. If he clings to fear or selfish desires, he gravitates toward situations that reinforce those limitations.

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Thoughts and Their Consequences

Every thought-seed sown, or allowed to fall into the mind and take root, produces its own blossom—sooner or later blossoming into action and bearing its own fruitage of opportunity and circumstance.

Good thoughts bear good fruit. Bad thoughts bear bad fruit. The outer world of circumstance shapes itself to the inner world of thought, and both pleasant and unpleasant external conditions are factors which ultimately make for the good of the individual. As the reaper of his own harvest, man learns both by suffering and by bliss.

By following the inmost desires, aspirations, and thoughts that dominate him—whether chasing impure imaginings or steadfastly walking the road of high endeavor—a man eventually arrives at fulfillment in the outer conditions of his life.

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The Laws of Growth and Adjustment

The laws of growth and adjustment operate universally. A man does not come to poverty or prison by the tyranny of fate or mere chance, but by the pathway of groveling thoughts and base desires. Nor does a pure-minded man fall suddenly into crime by external pressure or random events. The criminal thought had long been secretly nourished in the heart, and the hour of opportunity only revealed its gathered power.

Circumstance does not make the man—it reveals him to himself. No one descends into vice and its attendant sufferings without having cultivated vicious inclinations, just as no one ascends into virtue and its pure happiness without the continued cultivation of virtuous aspirations.

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Man as the Master of Thought

Man, therefore, as the Lord and Master of thought, is the maker of himself, the shaper and author of his environment. Even at birth, the soul attracts to itself its own, and through every step of its earthly journey, it draws the conditions that reveal its own purity or impurity, its strength or weakness.

Men do not attract that which they merely want, but that which they are. Their whims, fancies, and ambitions are often thwarted at every step, but their innermost thoughts and desires are always fed—whether foul or clean. The divinity that shapes our ends lies within ourselves. It is our very essence. Only by mastering his thoughts and actions does man manage his fate.

Thoughts and actions are the chains of fate when they are base. They are the wings of freedom when they are noble.

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The Power of Thoughts and Actions

They liberate when they are noble. Not what a man merely wishes and prays for does he get, but only what he justly earns. His wishes and prayers are answered when they harmonize with his thoughts and actions.

In light of this truth, what then is the meaning of fighting against circumstances? It means that a man is continually rebelling against an external effect, while all the time he nourishes and preserves its cause in his heart. That cause may take the form of a conscious vice or an unconscious weakness, but whatever it is, it stubbornly obstructs the efforts of its possessor and calls loudly for remedy.

Men are eager to improve their circumstances but are unwilling to improve themselves. They therefore remain bound. The man who does not shrink from self-crucifixion can never fail to accomplish the object upon which his heart is set. This is true of earthly goals as much as heavenly ones. Even the man whose sole object is to acquire wealth must be prepared to make great personal sacrifices before he can accomplish it. How much more, then, must this be the case for the one who wishes to achieve a strong, well-poised, and virtuous life?

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Illustrative Cases of Thought and Circumstance

Here is a man who is wretchedly poor. He desperately desires that his surroundings and home comforts be improved, yet all the while he shirks his work and even attempts to deceive his employer, justifying it on the grounds of insufficient wages. Such a man has not grasped even the simplest rudiments of the principles which form the basis of true prosperity. Not only is he unfit to rise from his wretchedness, but he is actually attracting to himself even deeper misery through his idleness, deception, and unmanly thoughts.

Here is a wealthy man who suffers from a painful and persistent disease brought on by gluttony. He is willing to pay large sums of money to be rid of it, yet he refuses to sacrifice his gluttonous desires. He wants to indulge his appetite for unnatural, rich foods while also enjoying perfect health. Such a man is utterly unfit to have health, for he has not yet learned the first principle of a healthy life.

And here is an employer who uses dishonest measures to avoid paying fair wages. Hoping to maximize his profits, he reduces the wages of his workers. Such a man is unfit for lasting prosperity, and when he eventually finds himself bankrupt—in reputation as well as wealth—he blames circumstances, failing to see that he himself is the true author of his condition.

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The Law of Thought and Its Effects

I have shared these three cases merely to illustrate the truth: man is the cause—though often unconsciously—of his own circumstances. While aiming at a good end, he continually frustrates its accomplishment by encouraging thoughts and desires which cannot possibly harmonize with that end.

Such examples could be multiplied almost endlessly, but they are not necessary, for any thoughtful reader can trace the action of the laws of thought in his own mind and life. Until this is done, external facts cannot serve as a foundation for reasoning. Circumstances are deeply interwoven with thought, and happiness varies greatly between individuals. A man’s soul condition, though known to himself, cannot be accurately judged by others based solely on outward appearances.

A man may be honest in some aspects and still suffer poverty. Another may be dishonest and yet acquire wealth. To assume that the honest man fails because of his honesty and the dishonest prospers because of his dishonesty is a shallow judgment. The truth is far deeper. The dishonest man may still possess certain admirable qualities, and the honest man may harbor vices that harm him.

Each reaps the results of his dominant thoughts—whether for good or ill. It is pleasing to human vanity to imagine that one suffers because of virtue. Yet until a man removes every bitter, impure, and sickly thought from his mind, he cannot declare truthfully that his suffering stems from his goodness.

Good thoughts and actions can never produce bad results. Bad thoughts and actions can never produce good results. Just as corn will always produce corn and nettles always produce nettles, so do the seeds of thought bring forth their natural harvest. Men recognize this law in the physical world but often fail to see its application in the moral and mental world, though it operates there with the same simplicity and certainty.

Suffering is always the effect of wrong thought in some direction. It is a sign that the individual is out of harmony with himself and with the law of his being. The supreme purpose of suffering is purification—to burn away what is useless and impure. Once a man becomes pure, suffering ceases, for no purpose remains in burning gold once its dross is gone.

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Mental Harmony and Life Conditions

The circumstances a man meets with suffering are the results of his own mental disharmony. The circumstances he meets with joy and success are the results of his mental harmony. Blessedness, not material possessions, is the measure of right thought. Wretchedness, not poverty, is the measure of wrong thought.

A man may be cursed and wealthy. He may be blessed and poor. Wealth and blessedness are united only when riches are rightly and wisely used. Likewise, the poor man falls into wretchedness only when he views his lot as unjust. Both indulgence and deprivation are extremes of misery, rooted in mental imbalance.

A man is not rightly conditioned until he is happy, healthy, and prosperous, for these are the fruits of inner harmony. True manhood begins when one stops blaming others or resenting circumstances and instead searches for the justice that underlies life. In aligning his mind with this justice, he ceases to accuse others and begins to use his circumstances as stepping stones for growth.

Law, not confusion, governs the universe. Justice, not injustice, is the foundation of life. Righteousness, not corruption, is the true power that moves the world. Therefore, man need only set himself right to discover that the universe is already right. As he adjusts his thoughts toward truth, he will find that things and people will, in turn, adjust toward him.

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Transforming Thoughts into Reality

Let a man radically alter his thoughts, and he will be astonished by the rapid transformation it brings to his life conditions. Thought cannot be hidden. It quickly crystallizes into habit, and habit solidifies into circumstance.

Base thoughts crystallize into habits of drunkenness and sensuality, which solidify into circumstances of destitution and disease. Impure thoughts crystallize into habits of deception and confusion, producing adverse conditions. Thoughts of fear, doubt, and indecision crystallize into weakness and irresolution, solidifying into failure. Lazy thoughts form habits of dishonesty and uncleanliness, producing poverty and shame. Hateful thoughts crystallize into violence and accusation, producing persecution and injury. Selfish thoughts crystallize into self-seeking habits, bringing distress and loneliness.

On the other hand, beautiful thoughts crystallize into habits of grace and kindness, producing sunny and pleasant circumstances. Pure thoughts form habits of self-control and temperance, which solidify into peace. Courageous thoughts crystallize into habits of decision and self-reliance, creating circumstances of success and freedom. Energetic thoughts crystallize into habits of diligence and order, producing prosperity. Gentle thoughts form forgiving habits, which solidify into protective and supportive circumstances. Loving and unselfish thoughts crystallize into selfless habits, producing enduring prosperity and true riches.

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Closing Reflections

Every train of thought, whether good or bad, will inevitably manifest itself in a man’s character and circumstances. Though he cannot directly choose his circumstances, he can choose his thoughts, and by doing so, indirectly shape his conditions. Opportunities will always align with the thoughts a man most encourages, bringing to the surface both good and evil.

Let him abandon sinful and sickly thoughts, and the world will soften toward him. Let him cultivate strong, noble, and generous thoughts, and opportunities will rise up on every side. The world is a kaleidoscope, reflecting back the ever-changing patterns of a man’s thoughts.

So you will be what you will to be. The human will, the offspring of a deathless soul, has the power to carve a way to any goal, no matter the obstacles. Do not be impatient in delays but wait, with steady resolve, as one who knows that by right thought and right effort, every destiny can be achieved.

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