PERSPECTIVE ON THE NEWS February 4, 1980 Issue

Prophets for the 'eighties

The beginning of this decade has been accompanied by a wave of anxiety. There is doubt about the ability of nations and societies to cope with the problems lying ahead, problems such as the crisis in Iran and the one in adjacent Afghanistan, which have deeply concerned the world. Sometimes the questioning attitude has produced a feeling of frustration and hopelessness in the face of the challenges predicted for the 1980's.

Commenting on this trend in a speech given during her recent visit to the United States, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher noted, "Neither weakness, nor anger nor despair will serve us." She observed that "self-questioning is essential to the health of any society." But she warned, "... we have perhaps carried it too far—and, carried to extremes, it causes paralysis." ^{Quoted in The New York Times, December 19, 1979;}

It doesn't help to voice doubt or discouragement when confronted with problems in one's own experience, whether physical or otherwise. This tends to throw the weight of evidence on the wrong side—on the side of mortal mind and its insidious arguments—and it militates against healing. Self-depreciation and self-condemnation have similar negative effects.

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