Wishful Thinking

Whenever I feel that a “certain thing” is impossible, I slip into wishful thinking and imagine that “the certain thing” has already been accomplished. So wishful thinking is a form of daydreaming.

When we make a temporary compromise by walking away from truth, we think we sustain ourselves through passive inaction and we hope that things will turn out the way we want. But sooner or later we have to return to reality, adjust to it in a creative way and accept daily living as a challenge not as a compromise. I do daydream: that I hate none, peeve at none, love all; and also of a world where there is no hunger, hatred, violence, greed; and only peace and happiness that reins supreme. All this remains wishful thinking if I don’t contribute my mite towards this end. There is nothing wrong with daydreaming now and then for a few moments or hours if it is used as relaxation from tension. Then I recall happy moments, successful moments in the past and renew my energies for the present.

As Miguel de Unamuno said, “To think is to converse with oneself.” You can make the choice, but you can’t use daydreaming in the process. When you converse with yourself, you must play  in the process. When you converse with yourself, you must play ball (as I do mentally) to find the big you. Only then will you be able to converse with others. When you cannot be a friend to yourself, you will be a friend to others. And you cannot be a friend to yourself by inadequate thinking, by wishful thinking, or by daydreaming. As we say, think creatively, then do creatively your part. When? Now! Is this our world or isn’t it? Isn’t the time ripe to abide by what the Father of our nation, Mahatma Gandhi stood for and not compromise the values in the making of our nation and also be as duty conscious as Sri Lal Bahadur Sastri?