All politicians like to think positive:
Does “Positive Thinking” Have a Place in Politics?
We should be very concerned that the two most powerful leaders in the Western world, Donald Trump and Boris Johnson, seem to follow and advocate the teachings of self-help gurus.
BY QRIUS
Barack Obama: Yes We Can - YouTube
Norman Vincent Peale (May 31, 1898 – December 24, 1993) was an American minister and author known for his work in popularizing the concept of positive thinking, especially through his best-selling book The Power of Positive Thinking. He served as the pastor of Marble Collegiate Church, New York, from 1932 until 1984,[1] leading a Reformed Church in America congregation. Peale was a personal friend of President Richard Nixon. Donald Trump attended Peale's church while growing up, as well as marrying his first wife Ivana there.
But some more than others...
The current UK head of government is one.
These are comments from exactly one year ago, when he became PM:
And in April this year "the prime minister believed the country needed lifting, not lecturing":
The current US head of government is another who believes in the power of positive thinking.
These comments are from when he became President:
There's something very interesting about the author of the most important book on positive thinking:
The effect goes very deep:
To finish, this is from a piece which looks at the bigger picture:
Does “Positive Thinking” Have a Place in Politics?
We should be very concerned that the two most powerful leaders in the Western world, Donald Trump and Boris Johnson, seem to follow and advocate the teachings of self-help gurus.
BY QRIUS
11FEB, 20
Neil Francis
To make money in the world of self-help books, being realistic and balanced, and where failure is accepted as a good thing, will not work. It seems that the leaders of America and the United Kingdom have cottoned on to this. It is well documented that Donald Trump is a big fan of the 20th-century positive-thinking movement and some of its books. You can see this in the language he adopts:
“No dream is too big. No challenge is too great. Nothing we want for our future is beyond our reach.”
“I’ve always won, and I’m going to continue to win. And that’s the way it is.”
“I was a great student. I was good at everything.”
It is unclear whether Boris Johnson had read any of these “positive thinking” books, but somehow, their teachings have rubbed onto him as well, given that he has adopted a lot of their mantras:
“There are no disasters, only opportunities.”
“The doubters, the doomsters, the gloomsters.”
“The hamster wheel of doom.”
Many people should be very concerned that the two most powerful leaders in the Western world seem to follow and advocate the teachings of some of the most “successful” self-help gurus. Because some of their messages can not only be harmful where the vulnerable are easy prey, but also psychologically dangerous.
In 1937, Napoleon Hill published “Think and Grow Rich,” a book that has reportedly sold over 15 million copies to date. The key lesson from this work is that the material universe is governed quite directly by our thoughts. By simply visualizing what you want out of life, those things, and more, will be delivered to you — especially if those things involve money. The past few decades have been a profitable era for all sorts of self-help and business success books. Napoleon Hill blazed a trail for an entire industry.
In 1952, Norman Vincent Peale published his “The Power of Thinking.” His core argument is that by using the power of focus and by believing in success, you will overcome any obstacles in life. No matter how insurmountable they may seem, there is no problem in your life that cannot be surmounted by the power of positive thinking.
More recently, in 2006, Rhonda Byrne’s book, “The Secret,” promoted the notion that you have the ability to be whatever you want to be, and that if you send out good thoughts and intentions to the universe, the universe will give you good things in return. According to Byrne, positive thoughts attract happiness and, conversely, negative thoughts attract bad decisions and fuel existing worries and negativity. She claims that focused concentration combined with positive thinking will lead to happiness and wealth...
This article was first published in Fair Observer
Neil Francis
To make money in the world of self-help books, being realistic and balanced, and where failure is accepted as a good thing, will not work. It seems that the leaders of America and the United Kingdom have cottoned on to this. It is well documented that Donald Trump is a big fan of the 20th-century positive-thinking movement and some of its books. You can see this in the language he adopts:
“No dream is too big. No challenge is too great. Nothing we want for our future is beyond our reach.”
“I’ve always won, and I’m going to continue to win. And that’s the way it is.”
“I was a great student. I was good at everything.”
It is unclear whether Boris Johnson had read any of these “positive thinking” books, but somehow, their teachings have rubbed onto him as well, given that he has adopted a lot of their mantras:
“There are no disasters, only opportunities.”
“The doubters, the doomsters, the gloomsters.”
“The hamster wheel of doom.”
Many people should be very concerned that the two most powerful leaders in the Western world seem to follow and advocate the teachings of some of the most “successful” self-help gurus. Because some of their messages can not only be harmful where the vulnerable are easy prey, but also psychologically dangerous.
In 1937, Napoleon Hill published “Think and Grow Rich,” a book that has reportedly sold over 15 million copies to date. The key lesson from this work is that the material universe is governed quite directly by our thoughts. By simply visualizing what you want out of life, those things, and more, will be delivered to you — especially if those things involve money. The past few decades have been a profitable era for all sorts of self-help and business success books. Napoleon Hill blazed a trail for an entire industry.
In 1952, Norman Vincent Peale published his “The Power of Thinking.” His core argument is that by using the power of focus and by believing in success, you will overcome any obstacles in life. No matter how insurmountable they may seem, there is no problem in your life that cannot be surmounted by the power of positive thinking.
More recently, in 2006, Rhonda Byrne’s book, “The Secret,” promoted the notion that you have the ability to be whatever you want to be, and that if you send out good thoughts and intentions to the universe, the universe will give you good things in return. According to Byrne, positive thoughts attract happiness and, conversely, negative thoughts attract bad decisions and fuel existing worries and negativity. She claims that focused concentration combined with positive thinking will lead to happiness and wealth...
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