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Youth and Morals

PESSIMISM

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Man's life is a mixture of   pain and comfort. Each one of these two states absorbs a portion of life in this world. Every individual faces his own share  of experiences and becomes a victim of pain and comfort from the problem and disasters of life. It is according to this bitter fact that man's life fluctuates between pain and ease.
We, as humans, can not change this eternal law which rules our lives so as  to subject it to our  own desire. Yet, after we come to realize the deep meaning of this life, we can direct our vision towards the beautiful side of existence and cast away the ugly entities which tarnish the fact of life in this vast universe; this universe that is filled with the amazement of creation and precision of wisdom; which it tells us that every creature exists with an aim of  which has been created. On the  other hand, we can  ignore or forget the bright points in  the universe and concentrate on the gloomy spots. Finally it is up  to every individual to choose the direction of his thinking. Hence, choosing the color and view  of life he wishes to experience.  It is  incumbent on us  to prepare our selves to face and choose that which is  appropriate for us in order to avoid disadvantageous factor, so that we do not loose the ability of self-control. Otherwise, we may face  irreplaceable loses, or even fall victim to the typhoons of misfortune. 

Many of us imagine that had the sequence of events in our lives been different, we might have been happy people. In fact, these people's problems are not related to the event of their lives, but to the methods in which they deal with them. It is possible for us to change the  influence of such events, or even transform some of their effects in to useful ones.

A famous thinker wrote:" Our thoughts always operate in the  domain of hate and dissatisfaction, so we always complain and cry. The reason behind this crying is in our so consciences. We are built in such a manner that our existence feeds on that which is nor appropriate for our soul or spirits. Every day we wish and hope foe new things, or perhaps we do not really know what we want. Yet , we believe that others have acquired happiness so we envy them while we suffer. We are like misbehaving children who invent new excuse and start weeping. Our soul suffer from their weeping, and we do not relax until we make them understand the facts and abandon what they falsely imagine and their unruly wants."

These children, as  a result of their numerous desires,  become blind to everything but  miseries. It is  our obligation to open their   eyes towards the good side of  life. We must make them understand that non but those who open their eyes to garden of life, can cultivate its flowers and roses. Those blind ones will obtain nothing but thorns, if we are able to pass the border of depression and pessimism  and examine the facts, we find that  even in these times, which have fallen in a deep horrifying pit, there are exits  everywhere with the roses and flowers in the garden of life that call the sights of onlookers to themselves at all times.
Thought has a deep affect on man's happiness. In fact, the only effective factor on man's happiness is his ability to think and  reason. An unprecedented incident is unbearable and destructive in the eyes of the pessimist, while in ht viewpoint of the optimist, who sees things in a positive way, such incidents do not lead to submission nor do they cause a person to lose his sense of resistance under any condition. Optimists never abandon the borders of modesty, restraint and  patience.
Those who condition themselves to think that the axis of evil surrounds then will only live a painful, gloomy and uncomfortable life. They will in effect, loose many of their power and abilities as a result of their exaggerated sensitivity and drown themselves in fatal ignorance of the blessing and good things of the  worlds. 
According to one scholar:
                        The world reacts to man exactly as man deals with the world. Thus, if you laugh at the world it will laugh with you. if you look at the world gloomily, it will appear gloomy. If you meditate on the world, it will count  you among the mediators, and if you  are merciful and  truthful, you will find people around you  who will love  you and open the treasures of love and  respect of their hearts to you,. 

Despite the bitter appearance of pain,  it produces special fruit for the mind and soul. man's spiritual abilities become more  clearly manifested in the darkness of pain. Reason and human spirit evolve in the folds of continuous sacrifices and un submissive struggle... to the peak of  human perfection.  

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Pessimism is a dangerous spiritual illness. It is the cause of many losses, effects and disappointments. Pessimism is a painful misfortune that tortures  the human  soul and leaves un amendable defects on man's personality which can not be  erased. 
When experience pain or inflictions people rend to become sensitive, at this point it is  possible for pessimism to appear as a result of a strong revolt  in the emotions and feelings of an individual. Pessimism which enters the mind in this way leaves its influence on man's thinking process.

The beauty of creation is nor manifested in the eyes of one  whose  spiritual mirror has become darkened by he shadow of pessimism. Moreover, even happiness appears to him in the garment of boredom and disaster, and his ill-thinking can not comprehend conduct of innocent individuals f clear of evil aims.Those whose thought becomes so negative will lose all of their advantageous abilites because with their incorrect imagination they create many problems for thenselves; hence, wasting their talents by worrying about incidents which they have not and probably will be not faced with.

As we have said before, the effects of the optimism spread to its surroundings and enliven the spirit with hope;likewise, pessimism dictates anxiety and pain to its surroundings, and eventually deprives them of the light of hope, which clear the path of life for mankind.

the disadvantageous effects of pessimism are not limited to the soul only, they adversely effect the body too. studies show that pessimistic pateints have a lower rate of cure, According to a medical doctor:
            It is more difficult to treat those who are suspicious of  everything and everyone, than to resue a person who jumps in the sea attempting to commit suicide. Giving medicine to an individual who ives in constant anxiety is like placing water in to boiling oil. In the oter for any medicine to be helpful it is essential for the pateint to preserve his sens of comfort and  beleif.
Those who suffer from pessimism clearly experience a sense of loneliness and suspicion when dealing with others. As a result of such unsatisfactory sutuations these people destory their abilities to develop and advance; hence, destining themselves to  an unwanted life. In  light of these facts, pessimism is found  to be a main factor in suicide.

If we examine any sector of humman soceity, we  will find that backbiting and gossip stem from suspicion tha  is paired  with a lack of examination and reflection. Despite their weaknesses injudging and their vast imaginations, people often judge others without verifying the subject -matter  involved. Those  people imagine without confirming their suspicion, in somecircumstance thier personal aims can easily be depicted. This great shortcoming causes the ties of unity and sincere relationship to break and deprives people of trust in each other, which leads to the corruption of manners and soul as well.

Most incident of enmity, hate and envy which are harmful to both the  individual and society, result from suspicion which contradicts reality. susupicion spread in the soceity to point that it may even occupy the mindsof philosophers and scholars. We can pinpoints many instance in history when scholars  have committed grave mistakes by veiwing their societies from the pessimistic angle; thus building their ideas on the basis of criticsm and search for the shortcomings in the social system. So instead of serving the causes of happiness, these confused scholar poison the spirit of their societies with their harmful thinking. They also subject the fundamentals of beleif to criticism and disgust.

Abu al-Ala al-Mauri was among the pessimistic scholars. This famous philosopher thought so negatively of life that he called  for the prevention of intecourse  in order to wipe out mankind; consequently riding itself of hte sufferings  of life.

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The holy Qura'n clearly counts pessimism and ill thinking among the sins and evil deeds and warns Muslims about thinking negatively of each other.  "O' you who beleive! Avoid most suspicion, for surely suspicion in some cases is a sin". Qura'n 49:12

The islamic religion prohibits suspicion if decisive evidence does not exists, The Messenger of Allah said:
            A Muslim is scared toamother muslim: his blood, his property, and for one to think negatively of another.

There fore, just as it is prohibited to transfer the property of one person to another without sufficient ecidence, it is frobidden to suspect people and accuse  them of evil doings before proving them guilty with undoubted evidence, the Prince of the Faithful said: It is nor right to judge the trustworthy only on speculation.
                                                                                                                                            (Nah aj balagha p.174)

He then clarified the disadvantages and painful  points of suspicion when he said:
Be careful of suspicion, for suspicion ruins worship and make sins greater.(Ghurarul hikam p154)

Suspicion has advers effects on the spiritsand conduct of other as well as the suspicion individuals, sometimes suspicions diverts the suspected persons from the straight path and leads in to corruption and lowliness. Imam Ali (a.s) said: Suspicion corrupts affairs and instigates evilness. (same. p 433)

Dr Mardin writes:
            Some business owners suspect their employees of stealing which, in turn , force the suspects to become what they are usupected of. Although suspocion does not appeat in words or actons,  it influeneces the spirits of the suspect and leads him to perform that  which he issuspected of.

Imam Ali (a.s) also stated regarding suspicion:
Avoid suspicion when nnot appropriate, for  this calls the healthy to sickness and the innocent to doubt. (same p.152)
He also aeclared that those who suffer from suspicion are deprived of healthy bodies and spirits;
 A suspicion person can never be found healthy. (same p.835)

Dr. carl wrote about this subject:
    Some habits, such as complaning and suspecting people, reduce the individual's ability to live. These negative behavioral habits adversely influence the sympathetic arder and the body's  glands, They can also cause practical damage to the body.(rah o rasam e zindagi)

One of the factor which cause suspicion is bad memories which are concealed in  man's spirits. Imam Ali (a.s) said: Hearts have evil notions and hearts resent them. (ghurar ul hikam p.29)

People with lowly natures elects themselves to be judges over other's action, thus the misdeeds of others are reflected on to them. Imam Ali said: Evil doers never  think good of anyone because they see others with their own  nature. (same p.80)

When the Messenger of islam entered Medina after migrating from Mecca a man came to him and said:
 O' Messenger of Allah the people of this town are men of goodness, they  are kind; you have done the thing in coming here.
The messenger of Allah said to the man: You speak the truth.
Another man them came to the prophet and said: Messenger of Allah the people of this town are evil it would have been better if you did not migrate to them.
The Messenger of Allah said: you speak truth.
When the people heard the Prophet's reply to both men, they queationed  him. The Prophet of Allah answered:
Each of them spoke what which was in his mind, there fore both of them are truthful. The Propeht of Allah ment that each of the men was truth ful about himself.

The forbidden type of suspicion is clearly understood as misguided thinking and the inclination of the soul towards ill-thinking and insisting of it. More prohibited than this type of suspicion is actiong on it Because the thoughts and notions which pass through the mind without any actual,effect ont he individual's conducts cannot be considered subject to jurisprudential legislation. These  thought are involuntary, avoiding them is also involuntary; but it is individual's option to manifest them in his actions.

The miseries of the pessimism stem from this terrifying disorder. There fore, it is incumbent on those who can pinpoint the reason which caused  them to be overly suspicious to treat  their cases and rid themselves of  such misfortunes.