Article March 11, 1967 Issue

Observing the Climate of Thought

MARY BEACH

How frequently the exchange of early morning greetings includes observations of current weather conditions! Coupled with this observation there is often the acceptance of the aggressive suggestion that seeming climatic conditions have a debilitating influence which may prevent one from carrying on the duties of the day with a satisfactory sense of achievement. Overcast skies and drizzling rain may be matched with a dreary outlook. Or, if the sun is bright and the air balmy, the comment may be: "This is too nice a day to have to work." Such thoughts, even though superficially entertained, rob one of the full unfoldment of good inherent in the day at hand.

The ability to achieve and the capacity to enjoy are dependent on the climate of thought, not on the seeming aspects of the weather. Our viewpoint determines the nature of our experience. What, one may ask, assures a consistently cheerful viewpoint invulnerable to the material concept of atmospheric conditions? The assurance is never found in a forced mental state temporarily and precariously supported by human will. Genuine cheerfulness comes as a result of understanding that, as Christian Science teaches, God is the only Mind and that the clear, spiritually invigorating atmosphere of the one divine Mind is expressed individually in the true selfhood of each of us.

To human sense there seem to be many personal minds subject to depressing or lethargic suggestions. This false concept results from a foundationless theory of matter as a reality embracing life, substance, and intelligence. God, the only creator, is Spirit, as the Scriptures declare Him to be. The universe, including man in God's image and likeness, is wholly spiritual, reflecting the nature of the one creator. Acknowledgment of this scientific fact and a growing understanding of its verity improve human thought by bringing a stabilizing influence into daily experience which wards off the tendency to be disturbed by material concepts, including the changeableness of the weather.

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