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This is one of "22
virus definitions" (thought-mistakes that cause ineffectiveness
and unnecessary negative emotions).
 “HUMANS
will destroy the earth.” Not only is this a negative
guess, not only is it demoralizing, but it is false hopelessness.
It is false in the sense that it contains too much certainty.
Nobody knows what will happen in the future. And it is false
in the sense that something can be done in the meantime that
might change how things turn out.
False hopelessness is a kind of cop out.
Like the statement above, it allows you not to try. I hear it
all the time. People are convincing themselves of things like
this because (at least in part) it absolves them of responsibility.
They don’t have to do anything about because “nothing
can be done.” But by convincing themselves of false hopelessness,
they also demoralize themselves unnecessarily. It takes the fight
out of them.
You've heard the phrase, "It took
all the fight out of me." One thing many people don't realize
is that if you convince yourself of false hopelessness about,
say, the future of the human race, that hopeless feeling soaks
through and stains your whole life. Your whole body is less energized
for accomplishing your personal goals.
If you don't want to work toward ending
world hunger, you can make that choice without deciding it cannot
be done. You don't have to solve every problem on earth. In fact,
you can't. You have to choose your battles. You're reading this
right now because you have at least one strong goal. Keep your
focus on that goal, and when it is accomplished, put your attention
on the next goal.
In the meantime, do not defile your mind
with false hopelessness about anything. When you don't know,
admit you don't know and move on.
This article is part of the series, Antivirus For Your Mind. |
