Sees no good in anything--Expects the bad and gets it--Attracts it to
him--Depresses everything and everyone--Carries an aura of negative
depressing thought--Clammy--Puts out the fire of energy--Take warning.
Did you ever meet the Human Wet Blanket?
To start with, he sees no good in anything. To him every man is a
rogue--every woman a schemer trying to pull the wool over the eyes of
some man. He looks for the Bad--expects to find it--and find it he
does. One generally gets what he looks for. He attracts to him that
for which he looks, and he cannot see any other qualities than those
possessed by himself. Everyone is trying to cheat him, and out-wit
him, so he thinks, and I have no doubt that the Law brings him a fair
share of people of this kind. In order to prevent other people from
taking advantage of him, he endeavors to take advantage of them in the
same small way that he fears they will use on him. The consequence is
the people with whom he has dealings are apt to give him a dose of his
own medicine. He trusts no man. He's so shrewd that he measures off a
spool of thread in order to be sure that the storekeeper has not
robbed him of a yard or two. And the funny thing is, that he sets in
motion the Law which causes the one short-measure spool in the case to
fall into his hands. He just _draws_ these things to him. He thinks
himself a marvel of cunning, and endeavors to manifest it in petty
practices, the result being that he attracts to himself all the little
schemers, and some of the big ones, who happen to be within the radius
of his attracting power, while the other type of people are repelled
by his mental attitude and thought-force. Funny, isn't it?
Then he sees nothing but disaster ahead in any plan, and, sure,
enough, if he gets near enough to the plan to contaminate it, trouble
is sure to happen. As an attractor of Negative Thought he is a
glittering success. He seems to have a positive genius for doing
things the wrong way. And yet, he doesn't believe in the Attractive
Power of Thought or "any such nonsense." He's too shrewd to take any
stock in such ridiculous theories, although he exhibits in his life a
most convincing proof of the truth of New Thought teachings.
He never says "I Can and I Will," and if he hears anyone around him
indulging in such heretical notions, he promptly proceeds to squelch
him by a few "Supposings," "Buts," "What ifs," and two or three gloomy
shakes of the head, and a few sighs. His motto seems to be "There's no
use trying, you can't do it." With him the country seems always to be
going to the dogs, and the poorhouse is constantly looming up before
him.
I need scarcely add that Fear, Worry, Jealousy, and Suspicion are his
bosom friends. He holds these thoughts constantly, and they and the
rest of the negative brood are devouring him. They are making their
home in his mentality and are increasing rapidly, besides frequently
inviting their friends for a visit.
Of course, it's nobody's business if he likes this sort of thing, but
it is not pleasant to come in contact with him. He is surrounded with
an aura of negative, depressing, gloomy, thought-force, which is
manifest to all with whom he comes in contact. Turn him loose in a
roomful of cheerful people, and in a few minutes the conversation has
lagged, the warmth of love and friendship has disappeared and things
begin to feel damp and chilly, and someone will begin to make inquiry
regarding the furnace or the steam radiators, and wondering why the
janitor does not keep up the fire on such a day. Approach him when you
feel fired with energy, ambition and push--when you feel that you can
go out and conquer any obstacle--and you will feel the clammy wet
blanket thrown over you, putting out your fire of energy, and in a
moment or two you will wonder "What's the use." That is, unless you
understand your business, and know how to throw off the influence of
the negative thought-waves emanating from this man. Look out for him.
From the bottom of my heart, I pity this man and his kind. He gets
none of the sweet things of Life--he doesn't see them lying around. He
misses the joy of living. He sees everything through jaundiced eyes.
He knows nothing of the happiness of the clear head, warm heart, and
brotherly hand. He is so occupied in looking for the spoiled fruit on
the ground that he does not see the perfect fruit on the branches
above his head, begging to be picked. He is so much engrossed in the
mud upon the road, that he does not see the bright blue sky above his
head; the beautiful landscape; the children playing on the grass; the
mother nursing her babe; the old couple trudging along hand in hand.
These things do not exist for him. His mind is so full of Fear,
Suspicion, Distrust, and Petty Spite, that Love finds no room. But
even this is Good--for many find their way to Optimism only by first
sinking to the depths of extreme Pessimism. They reach the Celestial
City by the road that winds through the Valley of the Shadow of Death.
Even these things shall pass away.
All's well.