Chapter 10 of 19

Chapter 7. The Transmutation Of Negative Thought

第七章　消極的思考の変容

Worry is the child of Fear—if you kill out Fear, Worry will die for want of nourishment. This advice is very old, and yet it is always worthy of repetition, for it is a lesson of which we are greatly in need. Some people think that if we kill out Fear and Worry we will never be able to accomplish anything. I have read editorials in the great journals in which the writers held that without Worry one can never accomplish any of the great tasks of life, because Worry is necessary to stimulate interest and work. This is nonsense, no matter who utters it. Worry never helped one to accomplish anything; on the contrary, it stands in the way of accomplishment and attainment.

心配は恐怖の子である——恐怖を殺せば、心配は栄養不足で死ぬだろう。この忠告は非常に古いが、常に繰り返す価値がある。なぜならそれは我々が大いに必要とする教訓だからだ。恐怖と心配を殺せば何も達成できなくなると考える人々がいる。私は大新聞の社説で、心配がなければ人生の偉大な仕事を達成することはできない、なぜなら心配は興味と仕事を刺激するために必要だからだと主張する論者を読んだことがある。これは誰が言おうとナンセンスだ。心配は何かの達成を助けたことはない。むしろ達成と到達の妨げとなる。

The motive underlying action and “doing things” is Desire and Interest. If one earnestly desires a thing, he naturally becomes very much interested in its accomplishment, and is quick to seize upon anything likely to help him to gain the thing he wants. More than that, his mind starts up a work on the sub-conscious plane that brings into the field of consciousness many ideas of value and importance. Desire and Interest are the causes that result in success. Worry is not Desire. It is true that if one’s surroundings and environments become intolerable, he is driven in desperation to some efforts that will result in throwing off the undesirable conditions and in the acquiring of those more in harmony with his desire. But this is only another form of Desire—the man desires something different from what he has; and when his desire becomes strong enough his entire interest is given to the task, he makes a mighty effort, and the change is accomplished. But it wasn’t Worry that caused the effort. Worry could content itself with wringing its hands and moaning “Woe is me,” and wearing its nerves to a frazzle, and accomplishing nothing. Desire acts differently. It grows stronger as the man’s conditions become intolerable, and finally when he feels the hurt so strongly that he can’t stand it any longer, he says, “I won’t stand this any longer—I will make a change,” and lo! then Desire springs into action. The man keeps on “wanting” a change the worst way (which is the best way) and his Interest and Attention being given to the task of deliverance, he begins to make things move. Worry never accomplished anything. Worry is negative and death producing. Desire and Ambition are positive and life producing. A man may worry himself to death and yet nothing will be accomplished, but let that man transmute his worry and discontent into Desire and Interest, coupled with a belief that he is able to make the change—the “I Can and I Will” idea— then something happens.

行動と「物事を成す」ことの根底にある動機は、欲求と関心である。ある事柄を真剣に望めば、その達成に非常に関心を持つようになり、望むものを得る助けとなりそうなものを素早く掴む。それだけでなく、心は潜在意識の次元で作業を始め、価値と重要性のある多くのアイデアを意識の領域にもたらす。欲求と関心は成功をもたらす原因である。心配は欲求ではない。環境が耐え難くなれば、不本意な条件を脱ぎ捨て、より望みに合うものを獲得するための必死の努力に駆り立てられるのは事実だ。しかしこれは欲求の別の形に過ぎない——その人は持っているものとは別のものを欲しているのであり、欲求が十分に強まれば全関心がその課題に注がれ、力強い努力をし、変化が成し遂げられる。しかし努力を引き起こしたのは心配ではない。心配は手をもみしだき「ああ悲しい」と嘆き、神経をぼろぼろにし、何も達成しないことで満足する。欲求は異なる行動をとる。状況が耐え難くなるにつれて強まり、ついにもはや我慢できないほど強く痛みを感じると「これ以上我慢しない——変化を起こす」と言い、するとたちまち欲求が行動に跳躍する。その人は最悪の方法で（それが最善の方法なのだが）変化を「望み」続け、その関心と注意が解放の課題に向けられ、物事を動かし始める。心配は何も達成したことがない。心配は消極的で死を生む。欲求と野心は積極的で生命を生む。人は心配のあまり死に至るかもしれないが、何も達成されない。しかしその人が心配と不満を欲求と関心に変容させ、変化を起こせるという信念と結びつけるなら——「私はできる、そして私はやる」の考え——そこで何かが起きる。

Yes, Fear and Worry must go before we can do much. One must proceed to cast out these negative intruders, and replace them with Confidence and Hope. Transmute Worry into keen Desire. Then you will find that Interest is awakened, and you will begin to think things of interest to you. Thoughts will come to you from the great reserve stock in your mind and you will start to manifest them in action. Moreover you will be placing yourself in harmony with similar thoughts of others, and will draw to you aid and assistance from the great volume of thought waves with which the world is filled. One draws to himself thought waves corresponding in character with the nature of the prevailing thoughts in his own mind—his mental attitude. Then again he begins to set into motion the great Law of Attraction, whereby he draws to him others likely to help him, and is, in turn, attracted to others who can aid him. This Law of Attraction is no joke, no metaphysical absurdity, but is a great live working principle of Nature, as anyone may learn by experimenting and observing.

然り、恐怖と心配は我々が多くを成し遂げる前に去らなければならない。これらの消極的な侵入者を追い出し、自信と希望に置き換えなければならない。心配を鋭い欲求に変容させよ。そうすれば関心が目覚め、自分にとって興味あることを考え始めるだろう。心の大いなる蓄えから思考が浮かび、それを行動に顕現し始めるだろう。さらに、他者の類似の思考と調和し、世界に満ちている思考波の大量から助けと援助を引き寄せることになる。人は自らの心の中の支配的思考の性質に対応する性質の思考波を引き寄せる——精神態度を。そしてまた引き寄せの偉大な法則を始動させ、それによって助けてくれそうな他者を引き寄せ、自分もまた助けてくれる他者に引き寄せられる。この引き寄せの法則は冗談でも形而上学的不条理でもなく、誰もが実験と観察によって学ぶことのできる自然の偉大で生きた作用原理なのだ。

To succeed in anything you must want it very much—Desire must be in evidence in order to attract. The man of weak desires attracts very little to himself. The stronger the Desire the greater the force set into motion. You must want a thing hard enough before you can get it. You must want it more than you do the things around you, and you must be prepared to pay the price for it. The price is the throwing overboard of certain lesser desires that stand in the way of the accomplishment of the greater one. Comfort, ease, leisure, amusements, and many other things may have to go (not always, though). It all depends on what you want. As a rule, the greater the thing desired, the greater the price to be paid for it. Nature believes in adequate compensation. But if you really Desire a thing in earnest, you will pay the price without question; for the Desire will dwarf the importance of the other things. You say that you want a thing very much, and are doing everything possible toward its attainment? Pshaw! you are only playing Desire. Do you want the thing as much as a prisoner wants freedom—as much as a dying man wants life? Look at the almost miraculous things accomplished by prisoners desiring freedom. Look how they work through steel plates and stone walls with a bit of stone. Is your desire as strong as that? Do you work for the desired thing as if your life depended upon it? Nonsense! you don’t know what Desire is. I tell you if a man wants a thing as much as the prisoner wants freedom, or as much as a strongly vital man wants life, then that man will be able to sweep away obstacles and impediments apparently immovable. The key to attainment is Desire, Confidence, and Will. This key will open many doors.

何事かに成功するには、非常に強く望まなければならない——引き寄せるには欲求が表に出ていなければならない。弱い欲求の者はほとんど何も引き寄せない。欲求が強ければ強いほど、始動する力は大きい。何かを得るには十分に強く望まなければならない。周囲のものよりもそれを望まなければならず、その代価を払う準備がなければならない。その代価とは、より大きなものの達成を妨げるある種の小さな欲求を投げ捨てることである。快適さ、安楽、余暇、娯楽、その他多くのものを手放す必要があるかもしれない（常にではないが）。すべては何を望むかによる。一般に、望むものが大きければ大きいほど、払うべき代価は大きい。自然は適切な報償を信じている。しかし本当に真剣に望めば、代価を躊躇なく払うだろう。なぜなら欲求が他の事柄の重要性を矮小化するからだ。非常に強く望んでいて、その達成に向けてあらゆることをしていると言うのか？ふん！あなたは欲求のふりをしているだけだ。囚人が自由を望むように——死にゆく者が生命を望むようにそれを望んでいるか？自由を望む囚人がほとんど奇跡的に成し遂げることを見よ。石片で鋼板と石壁を掘り抜く彼らを見よ。あなたの欲求はそれほど強いか？命がかかっているかのように望むもののために働いているか？馬鹿な！あなたは欲求が何かを知らない。私は言う、もし人が囚人が自由を望むように、あるいは強い生命力の者が生命を望むように何かを望むなら、その人は一見動かし難い障害と妨害を押し流すことができると。到達の鍵は欲求、自信、そして意志である。この鍵は多くの扉を開く。

Fear paralyzes Desire—it scares the life out of it. You must get rid of Fear. There have been times in my life when Fear would get hold of me and take a good, firm grip on my vitals, and I would lose all hope; all interest; all ambition; all desire. But, thank the Lord, I have always managed to throw off the grip of the monster and face my difficulty like a man; and lo! things would seem to be straightened out for me somehow. Either the difficulty would melt away, or I would be given means to overcome it, or get around, or under or over it. It is strange how this works. No matter how great is the difficulty, when we finally face it with courage and confidence in ourselves, we seem to pull through somehow, and then we begin to wonder what we were scared about. This is not a mere fancy, it is the working of a mighty law, which we do not as yet fully understand, but which we may prove at any time.

恐怖は欲求を麻痺させる——欲求から生命を脅かす。恐怖を追い払わなければならない。私の人生にも恐怖が私を捕まえ、内臓をしっかり掴んだことがあった。すべての希望、すべての関心、すべての野心、すべての欲求を失った。しかし、主に感謝すべきことに、私はいつも怪物の掌握を振り払い、男らしく困難に立ち向かうことができた。するとなぜか物事が解決されるように見えた。困難が溶けるか、克服する手段が与えられるか、回り道をするか、下をくぐるか、上を越えるかできたのだ。これがいかに作用するかは不思議だ。困難がいかに大きくても、ついに勇気と自信をもって立ち向かう時、どうにか切り抜けるものであり、そして何を恐れていたのだろうと不思議に思い始める。これは単なる空想ではなく、我々がまだ十分には理解していないが、いつでも証明できる強大な法則の働きなのだ。

People often ask: “It’s all very well for you New Thought people to say ‘Don’t worry,’ but what’s a person to do when he thinks of all the possible things ahead of him, which might upset him and his plans?” Well, all that I can say is that the man is foolish to bother about thinking of troubles to come at some time in the future. The majority of things that we worry about don’t come to pass at all; a large proportion of the others come in a milder form than we had anticipated, and there are always other things which come at the same time which help us to overcome the trouble. The future holds in store for us not only difficulties to be overcome, but also agents to help us in overcoming the difficulties. Things adjust themselves. We are prepared for any trouble which may come upon us, and when the time comes we somehow find ourselves able to meet it. God not only tempers the wind to the shorn lamb, but He also tempers the shorn lamb to the wind. The wind and the shearing do not come together; there is usually enough time for the lamb to get seasoned, and then he generally grows new wool before the cold blast comes.

人々はよくこう問う。「ニューソートの人たちが『心配するな』と言うのは結構だが、前途に起こりうるあらゆることを思えば、どうしたらいいのか？」さて、私に言えるのは、将来のいつか起こるかもしれない困難について思い悩むのは愚かだということだ。我々が心配する事柄の大部分は全く起こらない。他の大部分は予想よりも穏やかな形で来る。そして同時に、困難を克服する助けとなる別のものが常に現れる。未来は克服すべき困難だけでなく、困難を克服するための助力者をも蓄えている。物事は自ずと調整される。降りかかるいかなる困難に対しても我々は備えられており、その時が来れば、どうにか対処できる自分を見出す。神は毛を刈られた子羊に風を和らげるだけでなく、毛を刈られた子羊を風に和らげもする。風と毛刈りは同時には来ない。通常、子羊が慣れるのに十分な時間があり、そして冷たい風が吹く前にたいてい新しい毛が生える。

It has been well said that nine-tenths of the worries are over things which never come to pass, and that the other tenth is over things of little or no account. So what’s the use in using up all your reserve force in fretting over future troubles, if this be so? Better wait until your troubles really come before you worry. You will find that by this storing up of energy you will be able to meet about any sort of trouble that comes your way.

心配の十分の九はけっして起こらないことについてであり、残りの十分の一はほとんどまたは全く重要でないことについてであると、よく言われてきた。もしそうなら、将来の困難を案じて予備の力をすべて使い果たすことに何の意味があろうか。困難が本当に来るまで心配を待つ方がよい。エネルギーを蓄えておけば、降りかかるほとんどいかなる種類の困難にも対処できることを見出すだろう。

What is it that uses up all the energy in the average man or woman, anyway? Is it the real overcoming of difficulties, or the worrying about impending troubles? It’s always “Tomorrow, tomorrow” and yet tomorrow never comes just as we feared it would. Tomorrow is all right; it carries in its grip good things as well as troubles. Bless my soul, when I sit down and think over the things which I once feared might possibly descend upon me, I laugh!

平均的な男女のすべてのエネルギーを消耗させるのは、いったい何だろうか。困難を真に克服することか、それとも迫り来る困難を心配することか。いつも「明日、明日」だが、明日は恐れたとおりには決して来ない。明日はまったく問題ない。明日はその手に困難だけでなく良いものも握っている。まったく、かつて降りかかるかもしれないと恐れたことを座って思い返すと、笑ってしまう！

Where are those feared things now? I don’t know—have almost forgotten that I ever feared them.

あの恐れたものたちは今どこにいるのだろう？わからない——かつて恐れたことすらほとんど忘れてしまった。

You do not need to fight Worry—that isn’t the way to overcome the habit. Just practice concentration, and then learn to concentrate upon something right before you, and you will find that the worry thought has vanished. The mind can think of but one thing at a time, and if you concentrate upon a bright thing, the other thing will fade away. There are better ways of overcoming objectionable thoughts than by fighting them. Learn to concentrate upon thoughts of an opposite character, and you will have solved the problem.

心配と戦う必要はない——それは習慣を克服する方法ではない。集中力を磨き、目の前にあるものに集中することを学べ。すると心配の思いは消え去っているだろう。心は一度に一つのことしか考えることができず、明るいものに集中すれば、もう一方は消え去る。好ましくない思考を克服するには、戦うよりもより良い方法がある。反対の性質の思考に集中することを学べ、そうすれば問題は解決する。

When the mind is full of worry thoughts, it cannot find time to work out plans to benefit you. But when you have concentrated upon bright, helpful thoughts, you will discover that it will start to work subconsciously; and when the time comes you will find all sorts of plans and methods by which you will be able to meet the demands upon you. Keep your mental attitude right, and all things will be added unto you. There’s no sense in worrying; nothing has ever been gained by it, and nothing ever will be. Bright) cheerful and happy thoughts attract bright, cheerful and happy things to us—worry drives them away. Cultivate the right mental attitude.

心が心配の思考で一杯の時、あなたのためになる計画を練り上げる時間を見つけることができない。しかし明るく有益な思考に集中すれば、潜在意識が働き始めることを発見するだろう。そしてその時が来れば、降りかかる要求に応えるためのあらゆる種類の計画と方法を見出すだろう。精神態度を正しく保て、そうすればすべてのものが加えられるだろう。心配に意味はない。心配によって何かが得られたことはなく、これからもないだろう。明るく、陽気で、幸福な思考は明るく、陽気で、幸福なものを引き寄せる——心配はそれらを追い払う。正しい精神態度を培え。